Genome-wide study of Wnt/b-catenin-mediated differentiation and maintenance of stemness

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25670851
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Surgical dentistry
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: OHBA Shinsuke 東京大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 准教授 (20466733)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TEI Yuichi 東京大学, 大学院工学系研究科, 教授 (30345053) ; KOMIYAMA Yusuke 獨協医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (90586471)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 胚性幹細胞 / Wnt / 多能性 / 分化 / βカテニン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aims to identify mechanisms underlying the effect of Wnt/beta-catenin pathway on the maintenance of stemness and differentiation in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). We performed chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by massively parallel sequencing (ChIP-seq) for beta-catenin and expression profiling for Wnt/beta-catenin pathway-responsive genes in mESCs that carried epitope-tagged beta-catenin. Obtained data suggest that Wnt/beta-catenin pathway utilizes Tcf3 and pluripotency-related transcription factors for the regulation of pluripotency. In contrast, cooperative actions of Tcf3 and Ets, which acts downstream of MEK pathway, are likely to underlie the regulation of differentiation by Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. These findings may lead to the development of methods for stable supply of high-quality stem cells and efficient differentiation of stem cells.

Free Research Field

骨軟骨生物学・再生医学