OCT6 inhibits differentiation of porcine-induced pluripotent stem cells through MAPK and PI3K signaling regulation
Xinchun Yang, 西北农林科技大学动物医学院陕西省干细胞工程技术中心, 陕西 杨凌 712100, 中国, Xiaolong Wu, Wenhao Li, Xiaojie Wu, Qiaoyan Shen, Yunxiang Li, Sha Peng, Jinlian Hua
Abstract
As a transcription factor of the Pit-Oct-Unc (POU) domain family, octamer-binding transcription factor 6 (<i>OCT6</i>) participates in various aspects of stem cell development and differentiation. At present, however, its role in porcine-induced pluripotent stem cells (piPSCs) remains unclear. Here, we explored the function of <i>OCT6</i> in piPSCs. We found that piPSCs overexpressing <i>OCT6</i> maintained colony morphology and pluripotency under differentiation conditions, with a similar gene expression pattern to that of non-differentiated piPSCs. Functional analysis revealed that <i>OCT6</i> attenuated the adverse effects of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway inhibition on piPSC pluripotency by activating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K-AKT) signaling activity. Our research sheds new light on the mechanism by which <i>OCT6</i> promotes PSC maintenance.