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Activin/Nodal signaling in mouse embryonic stem cells

ABSTRACT: Members of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β superfamily play essential roles in the pluripotency, self-renewal, and differentiation of embryonic stem cells. While bone morphogenic proteins maintain pluripotency of undifferentiated mouse ES cells, the role of Activin/Nodal signaling is less clear. To determine the target genes of Activin/Nodal-Smad2 signaling in undifferentiated embryonic stem cells, changes in gene expression were examined following stimulation with recombinant Activin (2 hours) or after inhibition of Activin/Nodal with SB431542 (24 hours) using defined media culture conditions with LIF and 20 ng/mL BMP4. SB431542 is a specific inhibitor of ALK4/5/7 receptors and antagonizes both Activin and Nodal signaling. Via western analysis, Activin stimulation increased pSmad2 in ES cells after 2 hours, and treatment with SB431542 for 24 hours virtually eliminated pSmad2. Total Smad2 expression remained unchanged through these manipulations. RNA from cells treated with Activin or SB431542 was extracted by standard methods with Qiagen RNeasy columns. The RNA was analyzed with the Mouse Genome 430A Array from Affymetrix. Samples were performed in duplicate, and RNA from cells treated with Activin or SB431542 was compared to untreated embryonic stem cells.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE17879 | GEO | 2009/08/31

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA119997

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Nodal and Activin are morphogens of the TGFbeta superfamily of signaling molecules that direct differential cell fate decisions in a dose- and distance-dependent manner. During early embryonic development the Nodal/Activin pathway is responsible for the specification of mesoderm, endoderm, node and mesendoderm. In contradiction to this drive towards cellular differentiation, the pathway also plays important roles in the maintenance of self-renewal and pluripotency in embryonic and epiblast stem cells. The molecular basis behind stem cell interpretation of Nodal/Activin signaling gradients and the undertaking of disparate cell fate decisions remains poorly understood. Here, we show that any perturbation of endogenous signaling levels in mouse ES cells leads to their exit from self renewal towards divergent differentiation programs. Increasing Nodal signals above basal levels by direct stimulation with Activin promotes differentiation towards the mesendodermal lineages while repression of signaling with the specific Nodal/Activin receptor inhibitor SB431542 induces trophectodermal differentiation. To address how quantitative Nodal/Activin signals are translated qualitatively into distinct cell fates decisions, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation of phospho-Smad2 the primary downstream transcriptional factor of the Nodal/Activin pathway followed by massively parallel sequencing and show that phospho-Smad2 binds to and regulates distinct subsets of target genes in a dose-dependent manner. Crucially, Nodal/Activin signaling directly controls the Oct4 master regulator of pluripotency by graded phospho-Smad2 binding in the promoter region. Hence stem cells interpret and carry out differential Nodal/Activin signaling instructions via a corresponding gradient of Smad2 phosphorylation that selectively titrates self-renewal against alternative differentiation programs by direct regulation of distinct target gene subsets and Oct4 expression. Four biological replicates consisting of 4 different passages of E14TG2a ES cells at P20, P21, P23 and P24

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Activin/Nodal signaling in mouse embryonic stem cells

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