Single Cell based genomewide gene expression analysis of murine bone-marrow derived Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells (VSELs)

Recently, we identified a population of Oct4+Sca-1+Lin-CD45- very small embryonic-like stem-cells (VSELs) in adult tissues. Open chromatin structure of pluripotency genes and genomic imprinting-related epigenetic mechanisms maintain pluripotency and quiescence of VSELs, respectively. However, global transcriptome signature of this rare stem-cell population remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate by genomewide gene-expression analysis with a small number of highly purified murine bone-marrow (BM)-derived VSELs, that Oct4+ VSELs i) express a similar, yet nonidentical, transcriptome as embryonic stem-cells (ESCs), ii) up-regulate cell-cycle checkpoint genes, iii) down-regulate genes involved in protein turnover and mitogenic pathways, and iv) highly express Ezh2, a polycomb group protein.

9

Shin DM, Liu R, Wu W, Waigel SJ, Zacharias W, Ratajczak MZ, Kucia M