Dataset Information

Nodal/Smad2 signaling sustains developmental pausing by repressing Pparg -mediated lipid metabolism [ATAC-Seq]

ABSTRACT: Cells and organisms can enter transient dormant states to survive unfavorable conditions during development, physiological adult states and disease. One paradigmatic case of dormancy is diapause, whereby embryos transiently pause development and enter a state of suspended animation. In mammals, diapause occurs pre-implantation at the blastocyst state and involves global growth suppression and metabolic rewiring towards lipid usage as energy source. The molecular regulation of diapause remains poorly understood, including whether it occurs by default or requires active signaling. Here, we identify the canonical TGF-β signaling pathway as an essential driver of transcriptional and metabolic reprogramming in diapause. TGF-β signaling was thought to only be required post-implantation, but we show that the ligand Nodal and its downstream effector Smad2 are essential for the survival of paused embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and blastocysts. Mechanistically, we found that Smad2 represses a Pparg, a transcription factor that is a master regulator of lipid storage, a process incompatible with pausing. Ablation of Pparg in Smad2-deficient ESCs rescues their survival and prevents excess lipid buildup in pausing conditions. These findings establish Nodal/Smad2 signaling as pivotal for sustaining embryonic diapause and suggest that the crosstalk between TGF-β signaling and the Pparg pathway may be broadly relevant for metabolic rewiring in dormancy contexts.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE302766 | GEO | 2026/06/22

REPOSITORIES: GEO

ACCESS DATA

Dataset's files

Source:

			Action	DRS
		Other
	GSE302766_ATAC-Seq_paused_processed_datafile.txt.gz	Txt

Items per page:

1 - 2 of 2

Similar Datasets

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

Dataset Information

Nodal/Smad2 signaling sustains developmental pausing by repressing Pparg -mediated lipid metabolism [ATAC-Seq]

Dataset's files

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets