Dual Specificity Phosphatase 27 Regulates Pluripotency and Meso-Endodermal Differentiation by Interacting with Transcription Factor CP2 Like-1 in Embryonic Stem Cells
- Author:
Sujin SONG
1
;
Jinbeom HEO
;
Siwon LEE
;
Yun Ji NAM
;
YongHwan KIM
;
Hyein JU
;
Hyungu KWON
;
Hyun Jun IM
;
Seok Woo HA
;
Hyun Ji KIM
;
Dabin LEE
;
Sang Jin PARK
;
Sang Hoon SONG
;
Juhyun PARK
;
Eui Man JEONG
;
Kyunggon KIM
;
Dong-Myung SHIN
;
Seungun LEE
Author Information
- Publication Type:ORIGINAL ARTICLE
- From:International Journal of Stem Cells 2025;18(4):412-425
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: Transcription factor CP2-like protein 1 (Tfcp2l1), a naïve pluripotency transcription factor, is expressed in both early embryonic and adult tissues, where it enforces pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and stemness features of cancer cells, respectively. However, the detailed molecular pathways by which Tfcp2l1 is regulated in early embryonic development and cancer cells remain unknown. Here, we identified the pseudophosphatase dual specificity phosphatase 27 (Dusp27), also known as serine/threonine/tyrosine-interacting like-2, as a novel Tfcp2l1-interacting protein through a sterile alpha motif-like domain in the C-terminus of Tfcp2l1 in murine ESCs. The interaction between Dusp27 and Tfcp2l1 was dependent on the cell cycle status and increased during mitosis. Expression of Dusp27 was upregulated during naïve pluripotency and repressed during spontaneous differentiation of murine ESCs. Ectopic expression of Dusp27 enhanced the transcriptional activity of Tfcp2l1 and promoted features associated with the naïve pluripotent state, while suppressing meso-endodermal lineage differentiation. The present study demonstrates that Dusp27 is a novel positive regulator of Tfcp2l1 through a physical interaction and thereby fine-tunes the pluripotency status and meso-endodermal differentiation of murine ESCs.
