Pou5f1/Oct4 promotes cell survival via direct activation of mych expression during zebrafish gastrulation
18.03.2014
Kotkamp K, Kur E, Wendik B, Polok BK, Ben-Dor S, Onichtchouk D, Driever W.
PLoS One. 2014;9(3):e92356
Myc proteins control cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis, and play important roles in cancer as well in establishment of pluripotency. Here we investigated the control of myc gene expression by the Pou5f1/Oct4 pluripotency factor in the early zebrafish embryo. Both Pou5f1 and Sox2 bind to mych and mycl1b control regions, and Pou5f1 directly activates mych expression. Pou5f1 and Mych-deficient MZspg embryos develop enhanced apoptosis already during early gastrula stages. Rescue experiments reveal that Mych has anti-apoptotic activity in the early zebrafish embryo, and that p53-dependent and Myc pathways are likely to act in parallel to control apoptosis at these stages.
