Project description:Transcription factor Zscan4 was newly discovered to be a marker of the intermediate state of 2-cell like cells . In addition, the WGCNA discovered a strong positive correlation between the expression of Zscan4 and that of MT2/MERVL .Hence, we examined the possibility for Zscan4 as an activator of MT2/MERVL.
Project description:Transcription factor Zscan4 was newly discovered to be a marker of the intermediate state of 2-cell like cells . In addition, WGCNA discovered a strong positive correlation between the expression of Zscan4 and that of MT2/MERVL. Hence, we examined the possibility for Zscan4 as an activator of MT2/MERVL.
Project description:Transcription factor Zscan4 was newly discovered to be a marker of the intermediate state of 2-cell like cells. In addition, the WGCNA discovered a strong positive correlation between the expression of Zscan4 and that of MT2/MERVL .Hence, we examined the possibility for Zscan4 as an activator of MT2/MERVL.
Project description:Estrogen Receptor alpha (ERα) is a key driver of most breast cancers, and it is the target of endocrine therapies used in the clinic to treat women with ERα positive (ER+) breast cancer. The two methods ChIP-seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with deep sequencing) and RIME (Rapid Immunoprecipitation of Endogenous Proteins) have greatly improved our understanding of ERα function during breast cancer progression and in response to anti-estrogens. A critical component of both ChIP-seq and RIME protocols is the antibody that is used to pull down the bait protein. To date, most of the ChIP-seq and RIME experiments for the study of ERα have been performed using the sc-543 antibody from Santa Cruz Biotechnology. However, this antibody has been discontinued, thereby severely impacting the study of ERα in normal physiology as well as diseases such as breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Here, we compare the sc-543 antibody with other commercially available antibodies, and we show that 06-935 (EMD Millipore) and ab3575 (Abcam) antibodies can successfully replace the sc-543 antibody for ChIP-seq and RIME experiments.
Project description:The Zinc finger and SCAN domain containing 4 (Zscan4) protein, expressed transiently in pluripotent stem cells as well as in gamete and embryonic development, regulates genome stability in addition to telomere elongation and karyotype correction in mouse ES cells. However, the mechanism underlying Zscan4’s ability to counter the toxic effects of DNA/chromatin remodeling is not fully understood. In this study, we used ChIP-seq technology with Zscan4 antibodies to identify genome-wide binding sites in mouse and human ES cells. We discovered that both mouse and human Zscan4 bind to specific simple sequence repeats, (TG/CA)n, that have a propensity to induce genomic instability through a left-handed helix and stem-loop structure. Furthermore, we found that Zscan4 removes active histone marks from (TG/CA)n regions to maintain the closed/inactive chromatin state. These results demonstrate that Zscan4 protects unstable genomic regions by directing chromatin condensation.
Project description:The Zinc finger and SCAN domain containing 4 (Zscan4) protein, expressed transiently in pluripotent stem cells as well as in gamete and embryonic development, regulates genome stability in addition to telomere elongation and karyotype correction in mouse ES cells. However, the mechanism underlying Zscan4’s ability to counter the toxic effects of DNA/chromatin remodeling is not fully understood. In this study, we used ChIP-seq technology with Zscan4 antibodies to identify genome-wide binding sites in mouse and human ES cells. We discovered that both mouse and human Zscan4 bind to specific simple sequence repeats, (TG/CA)n, that have a propensity to induce genomic instability through a left-handed helix and stem-loop structure. Furthermore, we found that Zscan4 removes active histone marks from (TG/CA)n regions to maintain the closed/inactive chromatin state. These results demonstrate that Zscan4 protects unstable genomic regions by directing chromatin condensation.