Homeobox protein NANOG
| Homeobox protein NANOG | ||
|---|---|---|
| Properties of human protein | ||
| Mass / length primary structure | 305 amino acids | |
| Isoforms | 2 | |
| Identifier | ||
| Gene name | NANOG | |
| External IDs | ||
| Occurrence | ||
| Parent taxon | Mammals | |
Nanog (also NANOG) is an important transcription factor (TF) that is involved in controlling the self-renewal of stem cells .
The name is derived from Tír na nÓg , the "land of eternal youth" in an Irish legend. The gene coding for TF is located on chromosome 12 in humans (Location: 12p13.31).
The human Nanog is a protein with 305 amino acids and a conserved homeodomain motif that facilitates the binding of the RNA polymerase to the DNA during gene overwriting ( transcription ). The Nanog gene is switched on in embryonic stem cells and, along with Oct-4 , c- myc , Sox-2 and lin-28, is one of the known key factors for maintaining cellular pluripotency ("all-round ability"). A stem cell can therefore differentiate into almost any cell in the human body.
Overexpression of Nanog causes self-renewal in mouse embryonic stem cells. In the absence of the Nanog protein, mouse stem cells differentiate into endodermal cells. Overexpression of Nanog in human embryonic stem cells enables the pluripotency to be retained even after several passages (cell division phases over several cultivation stages). The deactivation of the Nanog gene causes the affected cell to differentiate. This demonstrates the role of the Nanog protein in self-renewal in stem cells. Yamanaka et al. Showed that the induction of stem cells from fibroblasts with other factors such as Oct-4 is also possible without Nanog. Therefore Nanog seems to be dispensable for the biotechnological production of stem cells.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Homologues at OMA
- ^ I. Chambers, D. Colby, M. Robertson, J. Nichols, S. Lee, S. Tweedie, A. Smith: Functional expression cloning of Nanog, a pluripotency sustaining factor in embryonic stem cells. In: Cell. 113 (5), May 30, 2003, pp. 643-655.
- ↑ Cells Of The Ever Young: Getting Closer To The Truth. on: sciencedaily.com , June 2, 2003.
- ↑ X. Zhang, P. Stojkovic, S. Przyborski, M. Cooke, L. Armstrong, M. Lako, M. Stojkovic: Derivation of human embryonic stem cells from developing and arrested embryos. In: Stem Cells. 24 (12), Dec 2006, pp. 2669-2676.
- ^ I. Chambers, D. Colby, M. Robertson, J. Nichols, S. Lee, S. Tweedie, A. Smith: Functional expression cloning of Nanog, a pluripotency sustaining factor in embryonic stem cells. In: Cell. 113 (5), May 30, 2003, pp. 643-655.
- ↑ K. Mitsui, Y. Tokuzawa, H. Itoh, K. Segawa, M. Murakami, K. Takahashi, M. Maruyama, M. Maeda, S. Yamanaka: The homeoprotein Nanog is required for maintenance of pluripotency in mouse epiblast and ES cells. In: Cell. 113 (5), May 30, 2003, pp. 631-642.
- ↑ H. Darr, Y. Mayshar, N. Benvenisty: Overexpression of NANOG in human ES cells enables feeder-free growth while inducing primitive ectoderm features. In: Development. 133 (6), Mar 2006, pp. 1193-1201.
- ↑ H. Zaehres, MW Lensch, L. Wollenon, SA Stewart, J. Itskovitz-Eldor, GQ Daley: High-efficiency RNA interference in human embryonic stem cells. In: Stem Cells. 23 (3), Mar 2005, pp. 299-305.
- ↑ K. Takahashi, S. Yamanaka: Induction of pluripotent stem cells from mouse embryonic and adult fibroblast cultures by defined factors. In: Cell. 126 (4), Aug 25, 2006, pp. 663-676.