Genome editing reveals a role for OCT4 in human embryogenesis
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Norah Fogarty Afshan Mccarthy Kirsten E Snijders Benjamin Powell Nada Kubikova Paul Blakeley Rebecca Lea Kay Elder Sissy E Wamaitha Daesik Kim Valdone Maciulyte Jens Kleinjung Jin-Soo Kim Dagan Wells Ludovic Vallier Alessandro Bertero James Turner Kathy NiakanAbstract
Despite their fundamental biological and clinical importance, the molecular mechanisms that regulate the first cell fate decisions in the human embryo are not well understood. Here we use CRISPR–Cas9-mediated genome editing to investigate the function of the pluripotency transcription factor OCT4 during human embryogenesis. We identified an efficient OCT4-targeting guide RNA using an inducible human embryonic stem cell-based system and microinjection of mouse zygotes. Using these refined methods, we efficiently and specifically targeted the gene encoding OCT4 (POU5F1) in diploid human zygotes and found that blastocyst development was compromised. Transcriptomics analysis revealed that, in POU5F1-null cells, gene expression was downregulated not only for extra-embryonic trophectoderm genes, such as CDX2, but also for regulators of the pluripotent epiblast, including NANOG. By contrast, Pou5f1-null mouse embryos maintained the expression of orthologous genes, and blastocyst development was established, but maintenance was compromised. We conclude that CRISPR–Cas9-mediated genome editing is a powerful method for investigating gene function in the context of human development.
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Journal Nature
Volume 550
Issue number 7674
Pages 67-73
Available online
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Publisher website (DOI) 10.1038/nature24033
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Europe PubMed Central 28953884
Pubmed 28953884
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