background: the uterus is a dynamic tissue responding to hormonal changes during reproductive cycles. as such, uterine stem cells have been studied in recent years. transcription factors oct4 and sox2 are critical for effective maintenance of pluripotent cell identity. objective: the present research evaluated the mrna expression of oct4 and sox2 in the uterine tissues of ovariectomized mice tr...

Expression of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) markers (SOX2, OCT4, Nanog and Nestin) is crucial for progression of various human malignancies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression and prognostic impact of these molecules in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. In the present study, we found that the expression levels of SOX2,...

The identification of growth and differentiation pathways that are responsible for the proliferation and survival of cancer stem cells (CSCs) has opened avenues for the discovery of novel therapeutic targets. In the initial phase of an anticancer immune response, T cells specific for tumor-associated antigens develop in patients and, at least under selected circumstances, are able to eliminate ...

AIM To identify and characterize cancer stem cells (CSCs) in moderately differentiated lip squamous cell carcinoma (MDLSCC). METHOD MDLSCC samples underwent 3,3-diaminobenzidine (DAB) immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for squamous cell carcinoma marker EMA, CSC marker CD44 and embryonic stem cell markers NANOG, octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4), spalt-like transcription factor 4 ...

The POU family transcription factor Oct4 plays pivotal roles in regulating pluripotency and somatic cell reprogramming. Previous studies have indicated an important role for major groove contacts in Oct4-DNA recognition; however, the contributions of the RK motif in the POUh domain and the linker segment joining the two DNA-binding domains remain poorly understood. Here, by combining molecular ...

Somatic nuclei can be reprogrammed to pluripotency through fusion with embryonic stem cells (ESCs). The underlying mechanism is largely unknown, primarily because of a lack of effective approaches to monitor and quantitatively analyze transient, early reprogramming events. The transcription factor Oct4 is expressed specifically in pluripotent stem cells, and its reactivation from somatic cell g...