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Sox as a Functionally Conserved Link Between Unicellular Ancestors and Human Stem Cell Control

Hammarlund, Emma U. LU (2025) In Cellular Reprogramming 27(2). p.53-55
Abstract

Stem cells are key to human tissue maintenance. Because tissue maintenance allows us to live and reproduce, stem cell control is fundamental for animal life and evolution. A team of researchers set out to explore the origins of transcription factors at the core of the induction and the maintenance of stemnss. They focus on the conservation of the Sry-related box 2 (Sox2) and the octamer-binding transcriptor factor 4 (Oct4) in the Pit-Oct-Unc (POU) family. While these have been thought as animal-specific, the authors identified SOX and POU in pre-animal organisms. In particular, the SOX protein from a very simple unicellular organism was functionally conserved enough to reprogram somatic mouse cells to induce pluripotent stem cells. To... (More)

Stem cells are key to human tissue maintenance. Because tissue maintenance allows us to live and reproduce, stem cell control is fundamental for animal life and evolution. A team of researchers set out to explore the origins of transcription factors at the core of the induction and the maintenance of stemnss. They focus on the conservation of the Sry-related box 2 (Sox2) and the octamer-binding transcriptor factor 4 (Oct4) in the Pit-Oct-Unc (POU) family. While these have been thought as animal-specific, the authors identified SOX and POU in pre-animal organisms. In particular, the SOX protein from a very simple unicellular organism was functionally conserved enough to reprogram somatic mouse cells to induce pluripotent stem cells. To ponder on the importance of their findings, we first need to step back a couple of hundred million years.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
evolution, functionally conserved, POU, protists, SOX
in
Cellular Reprogramming
volume
27
issue
2
pages
3 pages
publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
external identifiers
  • scopus:105001237621
  • pmid:40126163
ISSN
2152-4971
DOI
10.1089/cell.2025.0011
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
9d027e63-5dee-4fac-8098-8af75a4aa327
date added to LUP
2025-09-09 14:58:51
date last changed
2025-09-10 10:45:39
@article{9d027e63-5dee-4fac-8098-8af75a4aa327,
  abstract     = {{<p>Stem cells are key to human tissue maintenance. Because tissue maintenance allows us to live and reproduce, stem cell control is fundamental for animal life and evolution. A team of researchers set out to explore the origins of transcription factors at the core of the induction and the maintenance of stemnss. They focus on the conservation of the Sry-related box 2 (Sox2) and the octamer-binding transcriptor factor 4 (Oct4) in the Pit-Oct-Unc (POU) family. While these have been thought as animal-specific, the authors identified SOX and POU in pre-animal organisms. In particular, the SOX protein from a very simple unicellular organism was functionally conserved enough to reprogram somatic mouse cells to induce pluripotent stem cells. To ponder on the importance of their findings, we first need to step back a couple of hundred million years.</p>}},
  author       = {{Hammarlund, Emma U.}},
  issn         = {{2152-4971}},
  keywords     = {{evolution; functionally conserved; POU; protists; SOX}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{53--55}},
  publisher    = {{Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.}},
  series       = {{Cellular Reprogramming}},
  title        = {{Sox as a Functionally Conserved Link Between Unicellular Ancestors and Human Stem Cell Control}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cell.2025.0011}},
  doi          = {{10.1089/cell.2025.0011}},
  volume       = {{27}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}