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The pluripotent state is not solely governed by the action of the core transcription factors OCT4, SOX2, and NANOG, but also by a series of co-transcriptional and post-transcriptional events, including alternative splicing (AS) and the interaction of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) with defined subpopulations of RNAs. Zinc Finger Protein 207 (ZFP207) is an essential transcription factor for mammalian embryonic development. Here, we employ multiple functional analyses to characterize its role in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). We find that ZFP207 plays a pivotal role in ESC maintenance, and silencing of Zfp207 leads to severe neuroectodermal differentiation defects. In striking contrast to human ESCs, mouse ZFP207 does not transcriptionally regulate neuronal and stem cell-related genes but exerts its effects by controlling AS networks and by acting as an RBP. Our study expands the role of ZFP207 in maintaining ESC identity, and underscores the functional versatility of ZFP207 in regulating neural fate commitment.

Chemical modifications of RNA provide a direct and rapid way to modulate the existing transcriptome, allowing the cells to adapt rapidly to the changing environment. Among these modifications, N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) has recently emerged as a widely prevalent mark of messenger RNA in eukaryotes, linking external stimuli to an intricate network of transcriptional, post-transcriptional and translational processes. m⁶A modification modulates a broad spectrum of biochemical processes, including mRNA decay, translation and splicing. Both m⁶A modification and the enzymes that control m⁶A metabolism are essential for normal development. In this review, we summarized the most recent findings on the role of m⁶A modification in maintenance of the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), cell fate specification, the reprogramming of somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and differentiation of stem and progenitor cells.