The endogenous retrovirus ENS-1 provides active binding sites for transcription factors in embryonic stem cells that specify extra embryonic tissue.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Long terminal repeats (LTR) from endogenous retroviruses (ERV) are source of binding sites for transcription factors which affect the host regulatory networks in different cell types, including pluripotent cells. The embryonic epiblast is made of pluripotent cells that are subjected to opposite transcriptional regulatory networks to give rise to distinct embryonic and extraembryonic lineages. To assess the transcriptional contribution of ERV to early developmental processes, we have characterized in vitro and in vivo the regulation of ENS-1, a host adopted and developmentally regulated ERV that is expressed in chick embryonic stem cells.

Results

We show that Ens-1 LTR activity is controlled by two transcriptional pathways that drive pluripotent cells to alternativ

SUBMITTER: Mey A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3362752 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature