The aryl hydrocarbon receptor promotes differentiation during mouse preimplantational embryo development.
Stem Cell Reports 2021;
16:2351-2363. [PMID:
34478649 PMCID:
PMC8452532 DOI:
10.1016/j.stemcr.2021.08.002]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian embryogenesis is a complex process controlled by transcription factors that regulate the balance between pluripotency and differentiation. Transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) regulates OCT4/POU5F1 and NANOG, both essential controllers of pluripotency, stemness and early embryo development. Molecular mechanisms controlling OCT4/POU5F1 and NANOG during embryogenesis remain unidentified. We show that AhR regulates pluripotency factors and maintains the metabolic activity required for proper embryo differentiation. AhR-lacking embryos (AhR−/−) showed a pluripotent phenotype characterized by a delayed expression of trophectoderm differentiation markers. Accordingly, central pluripotency factors OCT4/POU5F1 and NANOG were overexpressed in AhR−/− embryos at initial developmental stages. An altered intracellular localization of these factors was observed in the absence of AhR and, importantly, Oct4 had an opposite expression pattern with respect to AhR from the two-cell stage to blastocyst, suggesting a negative regulation of OCT4/POU5F by AhR. We propose that AhR is a regulator of pluripotency and differentiation in early mouse embryogenesis.
AhR regulates pluripotency factors OCT4 and NANOG during early embryo differentiation
AhR lacking embryos (AhR−/−) show a pluripotent phenotype
Pluripotent phenotype of AhR−/− embryos show enhanced glycolytic metabolism
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