Highly cooperative chimeric super-SOX induces naive pluripotency across species
Caitlin M. MacCarthy, Guangming Wu, Vikas Malik, Yotam Menuchin-Lasowski, Taras Velychko, Gal Keshet, Rui Fan, Ivan Bedzhov, George M. Church, Ralf Jauch, Vlad Cojocaru, Hans R. Schöler, Sergiy Velychko
Abstract
Our understanding of pluripotency remains limited: iPSC generation has only been established for a few model species, pluripotent stem cell lines exhibit inconsistent developmental potential, and germline transmission has only been demonstrated for mice and rats. By swapping structural elements between Sox2 and Sox17, we built a chimeric super-SOX factor, Sox2-17, that enhanced iPSC generation in five tested species: mouse, human, cynomolgus monkey, cow, and pig. A swap of alanine to valine at the interface between Sox2 and Oct4 delivered a gain of function by stabilizing Sox2/Oct4 dimerization on DNA, enabling generation of high-quality OSKM iPSCs capable of supporting the development of healthy all-iPSC mice. Sox2/Oct4 dimerization emerged as the core driver of naive pluripotency with its levels diminished upon priming. Transient overexpression of the SK cocktail (Sox+Klf4) restored the dimerization and boosted the developmental potential of pluripotent stem cells across species, providing a universal method for naive reset in mammals.