Transcription factors of stem cells
Transcription factors are proteins that play a crucial role in regulating gene expression. They bind to specific DNA sequences located near target genes and control their activation or repression. These proteins are essential for development and differentiation cell, as they guide cell fate by influencing which genes are activated and when.
Stem cell-specific transcription factors vary according to stem cell type and tissue context. However, here are a few examples of important transcription factors associated with different stem cell types:
Pluripotent stem cells (such as embryonic stem cells and induced stem cells) :
- Oct4 (Pou5f1) : Plays a key role in maintaining pluripotency and regulating the self-renewal of pluripotent stem cells.
- Sox2 : Cooperates with Oct4 to maintain pluripotency and regulate specific genes.
- Nanog : Involved in maintaining pluripotency and regulating self-renewal.
- Klf4, c-Myc;These factors, in combination with Oct4 and Sox2, have been used to reprogram somatic cells into induced stem cells (iPS).
- GATA-1, GATA-2: regulate the differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells into blood cells.
- Runx1 (Aml1): Important for the differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells into blood cells.
- PU.1: Involved in the differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells into immune cells.
- Runx2: Regulates the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into bone cells.
- PPARγ: Important for the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into fat cells.
- Sox9: Involved in the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into cartilage cells.
- Pax6: Regulates the differentiation of neural stem cells into neurons and glial cells.
- Sox1, Sox2, Sox3: Involved in maintaining the pluripotent state of neural stem cells and in their differentiation.
- Ngn1 (Neurog1), Ngn2 (Neurog2): Play a role in neuronal specification.
- p63: Involved in epithelial development and regulation of epithelial stem cell self-renewal.
- Klf4, Klf5: play a role in epithelial stem cell differentiation.
Transcription factors play an essential role in cell fate determination and are central to the mechanisms that guide differentiation and identity maintenance of stem cells.
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