OCT4 induces embryonic pluripotency via STAT3 signaling and metabolic mechanisms.

Giuliano G Stirparo, Agata Kurowski, Ayaka Yanagida, Lawrence E Bates, Stanley E Strawbridge, Siarhei Hladkou, Hannah T Stuart, Thorsten E Boroviak, Jose C R Silva, Jennifer Nichols

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2021 Jan 19

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OCT4 is a fundamental component of the molecular circuitry governing pluripotency in vivo and in vitro. To determine how OCT4 establishes and protects the pluripotent lineage in the embryo, we used comparative single-cell transcriptomics and quantitative immunofluorescence on control and OCT4 null blastocyst inner cell masses at two developmental stages. Surprisingly, activation of most pluripotency-associated transcription factors in the early mouse embryo occurs independently of OCT4, with the exception of the JAK/STAT signaling machinery. Concurrently, OCT4 null inner cell masses ectopically activate a subset of trophectoderm-associated genes. Inspection of metabolic pathways implicates the regulation of rate-limiting glycolytic enzymes by OCT4, consistent with a role in sustaining glycolysis. Furthermore, up-regulation of the lysosomal pathway was specifically detected in OCT4 null embryos. This finding implicates a requirement for OCT4 in the production of normal trophectoderm. Collectively, our findings uncover regulation of cellular metabolism and biophysical properties as mechanisms by which OCT4 instructs pluripotency. Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Citation

Giuliano G Stirparo, Agata Kurowski, Ayaka Yanagida, Lawrence E Bates, Stanley E Strawbridge, Siarhei Hladkou, Hannah T Stuart, Thorsten E Boroviak, Jose C R Silva, Jennifer Nichols. OCT4 induces embryonic pluripotency via STAT3 signaling and metabolic mechanisms. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2021 Jan 19;118(3)