Oct4 Contributes to Mesodermal Differentiation by Sustaining the Proliferative Capacity of Early Mesodermal Progenitors.

ABSTRACT: Oct4 is well established as a core regulator of pluripotency, yet emerging evidence points to an additional role in lineage specification during the exit from the pluripotent state. Although Oct4 expression has been observed in early mesodermal progenitors, its precise function in this developmental context remains unclear. To investigate this, we employed embryoid bodies (EBs) as a model of spontaneous differentiation that recapitulates key aspects of early embryonic development in vitro. In accordance with previous studies, reporter assay revealed a distinct temporal pattern characterized by the strong, transient co-expression of Oct4 and the early mesoderm-specifying marker gene Brachyury within a narrow developmental window, consistent with the Oct4 role in early mesoderm

SUBMITTER: Lukacheva AV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12786243 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature