STRIP2 Is Indispensable for the Onset of Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation.

The role of striatin interacting protein 2 (Strip2) in differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) is still under debate. Strip2-silenced murine (KD) ESCs were differentiated for 4, 8, 12, and 16 days. We show that Strip2 is distributed in the perinucleus or nuclei of wild-type (WT) undifferentiated ESCs, but is localized in high-density nuclear bodies in differentiated cells. CellNet analysis of microarray gene expression data for the KD and scrambled control (SCR) embryoid bodies (EBs), as well as immunostainings of key pluripotent factors, demonstrated that differentiation of KD ESCs is repressed. This occurs even in 16-day-old EBs, which possessed a high tumorigenic potential. Correlated with very high expression levels of epigenetic regulator genes,