Expression profiling of genes involved in the control of totipotency using cDNA microarray

초록

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are totipotent and capable of differentiating into somatic as well as germ cell lineages when conjoined with blastomeres of early mouse embryos. Adult tissue-specific stem cells have recently reported to have potential to transdifferentiate into other tissue stem cells in a specific internal environment. Thus, mammalian stem cells are capable of fate changes between stem cell systems, although understanding of stem cell totipotency and plasticity at molecular level are unclear. To identify genes implicated in the control of totipotency, we analyzed expression profiles of genes derived from mouse morulas, blastocysts, ES cells, and mesenchymal stem cells using cDNA microarray. Comparative analyses of these data identified putative clones implicated in the control of totipotency. Most promising clones that were identified as EST clones were undertook full-length sequencing as well as RT-PCR and/or in situ hybridization analyses. Functional annotation of these clones on totipotency and stem cell plasticity is underway. These studies may further our understanding on the nature of the stemness.