Title:
Evolutionary and functional analysis of PRDM14 in pluripotent cells and primordial germ cells

 

Speaker:
Yoshiyuki Seki
Laboratory of molecular epigenetics for germline development

 

Abstract:
Germ cell specification in multicellular organisms is subdivided to two modes: “preformation” and “epigenesis”. In epigenesis, fertilized egg firstly establishes pluripotent cell, which can give rise to both germ and somatic cells, and germ cells are induced from pluripotent cells by receiving the inducing signals. The molecular network ensuring the pluripotency is controlled by core circuitry of transcription factors including POU5F1, SOX2 and Nanog. We have previously shown that PR-domain containing 14 (PRDM14) stabilized core circuitry of pluripotent factors in the maintenance and induction of pluripotency mediated by active DNA demethylation.
In this talk, I’d like to present recent work regarding the functional and gene expression comparison of PRDM14 orthologs in deuterostomes. Amphioxus (Cephalochordate) and Zebrafish (Teleost) but not Sea urchin (Echinodermata) PRDM14 could rescue mouse PRDM14 functions in the maintenance of ESC pluripotency. The expression of Prdm14 is restricted to pluripotent cells and primordial germ cells in mammals, however, Prdm14 was expressed in motor neuron but not in germ cells in amphioxus embryo as observed in zebrafish. Our data suggest that evolutionary changes of cis-regulatory elements surrounding at Prdm14 gene might integrate PRDM14 into pluripotent network of transcription factors.

 

References:
1. Okashita, N., Suwa Y., Nishimura O., Sakashita N., Kadota M., Nagamatsu G., Kawaguchi M., Kashida H., Nakajima A., Tachibana M., Seki Y., Stem Cell Reports, 2016
2. Okashita, N., Kumaki, Y., Ebi, K., Nishi, M., Okamoto, Y., Nakayama, M., Hashimoto, S., Nakamura, T., Sugasawa, K., Kojima, N., Takada, T., Okano, M. and Seki, Y., Development, 2014
3. Ohno, R., Nakayama, M., Naruse., Okashita, N., Takano, O., Tachibana, M., Asano, M., Saitou, M. and Seki, Y., Development, 2013
4. #Yamaji, M., #Seki, Y., #Kurimoto, K., Yabuta, Y., Yuasa, M., Shigeta, M., Yamanaka., K., Ohinata., Y., and Saitou, M., Nature Genetics, 2008