Transcription factor ZNF263 primes human embryonic stem cells for pluripotency dissolution and lineage commitment.

ABSTRACT: Conventional human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are capable of self-renewal and simultaneously poised for differentiation. But the mechanisms underlying this primed pluripotent state, which endows them with elevated responsiveness to differentiation cues, remain largely underexplored. Especially, little is known about the pivotal transcription factors (TFs) that orchestrate hESCs towards primed pluripotency. Here, we report a function of TF ZNF263 in pluripotency priming. Genetic and functional assays reveal that ZNF263 directly initiates the incipient expression of early differentiation genes and concurrently dampens the core pluripotency circuitry in hESCs, greatly tilting the balance from pluripotency maintenance to lineage priming. Importantly, ZNF263 deficiency markedly impairs plurip

SUBMITTER: Yin Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12589540 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature