The cellular form of the prion protein is involved in controlling cell cycle dynamics, self-renewal, and the fate of human embryonic stem cell differentiation.

ABSTRACT: Prion protein (PrP(C) ), is a glycoprotein that is expressed on the cell surface. The current study examines the role of PrP(C) in early human embryogenesis using human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and tetracycline-regulated lentiviral vectors that up-regulate or suppresses PrP(C) expression. Here, we show that expression of PrP(C) in pluripotent hESCs cultured under self-renewal conditions induced cell differentiation toward lineages of three germ layers. Silencing of PrP(C) in hESCs undergoing spontaneous differentiation altered the dynamics of the cell cycle and changed the balance between the lineages of the three germ layers, where differentiation toward ectodermal lineages was suppressed. Moreover, over-expression of PrP(C) in hESCs undergoing spontaneous differentiation inhibit

SUBMITTER: Lee YJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3505810 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature