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Oct-4

Oct-4, also known as OCT4 or POU5F1, is a POU domain-containing transcription factor that plays a central role in maintaining the pluripotency and self-renewal of embryonic stem cells in mammals.^[1] Encoded by the Pou5f1 gene, it binds specifically to octamer DNA motifs (ATGCAAAT) and acts as a key regulator of gene expression during early embryonic development.^[2] Highly expressed in totipotent and pluripotent cells such as the inner cell mass of the blastocyst and primordial germ cells, Oct-4 expression is rapidly downregulated upon differentiation, making it a hallmark marker of stem cell identity.^[3] Oct-4 was independently discovered in 1990 through cloning efforts that identified it as an octamer-binding protein expressed in preimplantation embryos, oocytes, and embryonic carcinoma cells.^[4] Pioneering studies by Schöler et al. demonstrated its sequence-specific DNA binding and transactivation properties, while Rosner et al. and Okamoto et al. highlighted its restricted expression pattern in undifferentiated cells, establishing it as a critical developmental regulator.^[1]^[2] Structurally, Oct-4 features a bipartite POU domain consisting of POU-specific (POU_S) and POU-homeodomain (POU_H) subdomains connected by a flexible linker, enabling cooperative interactions with partner proteins like SOX2 and NANOG to form enhanceosomes that drive pluripotency networks.^[5] In function, Oct-4 orchestrates a balance between self-renewal and lineage commitment by activating pluripotency genes such as Nanog and Sox2 while repressing differentiation inducers like Cdx2 and Gata6.^[3] Its precise expression levels are vital: elevated Oct-4 promotes primitive endoderm formation, while reduced levels drive trophectoderm differentiation, underscoring its role as a dosage-sensitive gatekeeper of cell fate.^[6] Beyond development, Oct-4 is indispensable for induced pluripotency; it was identified as one of the four Yamanaka factors (along with SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC) capable of reprogramming somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in 2006, revolutionizing regenerative medicine.^[7] Dysregulated Oct-4 expression has also been implicated in tumorigenesis, where it contributes to cancer stem cell maintenance and therapy resistance in various malignancies.^[8]

Gene and Protein

Genomic Organization and Isoforms

The POU5F1 gene, which encodes the Oct-4 transcription factor, is located on the short arm of human chromosome 6 at position 6p21.33, spanning approximately 6 kb from genomic coordinates 31,164,337 to 31,170,682 on the reverse strand in the GRCh38.p14 assembly.^[9] The broader locus, including upstream alternative promoters for isoforms like OCT4B, extends to approximately 16 kb (31,164,337 to 31,180,731 per Ensembl GRCh38).^[10] The gene consists of five exons, with the coding sequence distributed across these exons, and its organization is conserved across mammalian species, including mice and rabbits, where similar exon-intron structures support equivalent transcriptional regulation.^[11]^[12] Alternative splicing and promoter usage of POU5F1 generate multiple isoforms, with OCT4A representing the full-length, canonical variant essential for pluripotency. OCT4A is transcribed from exons 1, 2b, 2d, 3, and 4, encoding a 360-amino-acid protein that includes an N-terminal transactivation domain critical for its transcriptional activity.^[13] In contrast, OCT4B isoforms arise from an alternative promoter upstream of exon 2a and lack exon 1, resulting in shorter proteins such as OCT4B-265 (265 amino acids), OCT4B-190 (190 amino acids), and OCT4B-164 (164 amino acids), which exclude the transactivation domain and exhibit reduced transcriptional potency but enhanced stability under cellular stress conditions.^[13] These OCT4B variants localize to both the nucleus and cytoplasm and are associated with stress responses rather than pluripotency maintenance, differing from OCT4A in protein half-life and regulatory interactions.^[13] Additionally, the processed pseudogene POU5F1P1 on chromosome 8q24 produces transcripts that encode a protein with 95% homology to OCT4A, potentially contributing to expression variability in certain contexts like cancer, though it lacks full functional equivalence.^[14] The intron-exon boundaries and core promoter regions of POU5F1 are highly conserved evolutionarily among mammals, reflecting shared regulatory mechanisms for early development, as evidenced by sequence alignments across species like human, mouse, and rabbit that preserve splicing signals and proximal promoter elements such as the CR4 region.^[15]^[12] Polymorphisms within the POU5F1 promoter and regulatory regions, including variants like those identified in resequencing studies, influence transcriptional variability and have been linked to differential expression levels in stem cells and disease states.^[16]

Protein Structure and DNA Binding

The Oct-4 protein, also known as OCT4 or POU5F1, is a 360-amino-acid transcription factor belonging to the POU family, characterized by a central bipartite POU domain responsible for DNA binding and flanked by N- and C-terminal transactivation domains.^[17] The POU domain comprises approximately 156 amino acids, divided into a POU-specific subdomain of about 75 amino acids and a POU homeodomain of roughly 59 amino acids, which together enable sequence-specific recognition of DNA targets.^[13] The N-terminal transactivation domain spans 133 amino acids, while the C-terminal domain consists of 71 amino acids, both contributing to transcriptional activation but not directly to DNA binding.^[13] Oct-4 primarily recognizes the octamer consensus motif 5'-ATGCAAAT-3' (or variants like ATTTGCAT) through its POU homeodomain, which inserts into the major groove of DNA to form specific hydrogen bonds and base contacts.^[18] In pluripotent cells, Oct-4 frequently binds cooperatively with SOX2 to composite motifs, such as the Sox-Oct element (e.g., 5'-CTTTGTTATGCAAAT-3'), where the POU-specific domain of Oct-4 interacts with the high-mobility group domain of SOX2, enhancing binding affinity and specificity by inducing DNA bending and stabilizing the complex.^[19] This cooperative mode is essential for accessing chromatinized enhancers in the pluripotency network.^[20] Recent structural studies using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) have elucidated how Oct-4 engages nucleosomes as a pioneer factor. In 2023, high-resolution cryo-EM structures revealed Oct-4 binding to nucleosomes containing LIN28B or nMATN1 DNA sequences, demonstrating partial unwrapping of nucleosomal DNA at superhelical location (SHL) +6, which facilitates access to embedded motifs without full nucleosome eviction.^[20] These structures highlight Oct-4's ability to distort histone-DNA contacts, promoting chromatin opening in a sequence-specific manner.^[21] Additionally, a 2023 cryo-EM analysis of the Oct-4-LIN28B nucleosome complex showed pioneer-like access to closed chromatin, with Oct-4 stabilizing multiple conformations that enhance nucleosome breathing and expose binding sites.^[22] Further insights from 2022 indicate that Oct-4 binding induces nucleosome flexibility by altering histone dynamics, as evidenced by cryo-EM and single-molecule studies showing increased DNA unwrapping probabilities and multiple binding poses, including partial detachment at entry/exit regions.^[23] These modes allow Oct-4 to scan and engage chromatin barriers effectively, underscoring its role in initiating transcriptional programs. The primary isoform OCT4A, with its full-length structure, serves as the dominant form for these DNA-binding activities.^[17]

Expression and Regulation

Spatial and Temporal Expression Patterns

Oct4 exhibits dynamic temporal expression patterns critical for early embryonic development. Maternal Oct4 transcripts are highly abundant in oocytes and persist through the preimplantation stages, where they play a role in maintaining totipotency during cleavage divisions.^[24] Expression peaks in the inner cell mass (ICM) of the blastocyst, where Oct4 is essential for specifying pluripotent cells, before declining post-implantation as the epiblast differentiates during gastrulation.^[24] In embryonic stem cells (ESCs) derived from the ICM, Oct4 is re-expressed at levels comparable to those in the blastocyst, supporting self-renewal and pluripotency maintenance. Spatially, Oct4 expression is largely restricted to pluripotent compartments during embryogenesis, including the ICM and epiblast, with minimal detection in trophectoderm lineages.^[25] In adults, Oct4 shows low but detectable expression in germ cells, such as primordial germ cells (PGCs) in the gonads, and in select somatic tissues including the brain's neural stem cell niches.^[13] Isoform-specific patterns further delineate this distribution: the OCT4A isoform is predominantly confined to pluripotent cells like those in the ICM and ESCs, whereas the OCT4B isoform displays more ubiquitous expression across various somatic cell types.^[26] Quantitative aspects of Oct4 expression are pivotal for lineage fate decisions, with precise dosage thresholds governing cell outcomes in mouse models. Levels exceeding approximately 150% of endogenous expression in ESCs promote differentiation toward primitive endoderm and mesoderm lineages, while reductions below 50% drive loss of pluripotency and trophectoderm specification.^[27] These thresholds underscore Oct4's role as a dosage-sensitive regulator, where even modest variations alter developmental trajectories.^[27] Expression patterns are commonly assessed using quantitative PCR (qPCR) for transcript levels and immunofluorescence for protein localization in both human and mouse models, enabling precise mapping in embryos and cultured cells.^[28]

Upstream Regulators and Post-Translational Modifications

Oct4 expression is tightly controlled by a network of upstream transcriptional regulators that form auto- and cross-regulatory loops essential for maintaining pluripotency. In embryonic stem cells (ESCs), the core pluripotency factors Nanog and Sox2 bind to specific enhancer elements in the Oct4 (Pou5f1) proximal promoter and distal enhancer, promoting its transcription as part of a self-reinforcing loop. This Oct4-Sox2-Nanog triad directly activates Oct4 expression, ensuring sustained levels critical for pluripotency, as demonstrated in chromatin immunoprecipitation studies showing their co-occupancy at these sites. Conversely, during lineage commitment, repressors such as Cdx2 are upregulated in the trophectoderm lineage and directly antagonize Oct4 by competing for binding or recruiting corepressors, leading to its transcriptional silencing and prevention of ectopic pluripotency gene expression. Epigenetic modifications provide an additional layer of regulation, dynamically silencing Oct4 upon differentiation. In pluripotent cells, the Oct4 promoter exhibits bivalent chromatin marks, with active H3K4me3 and repressive H3K27me3 balanced to poise it for rapid activation; however, in differentiated cells, Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) deposits H3K27me3 at the promoter, correlating with reduced transcription. DNA methylation at CpG islands within the Oct4 promoter and enhancers also reinforces silencing during differentiation, as de novo methyltransferases like Dnmt3a/b target these regions, leading to stable heterochromatin formation and long-term repression. These epigenetic changes are reversible in reprogramming contexts, where demethylation and H3K27me3 removal restore accessibility. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) fine-tune Oct4 protein activity, stability, and localization without altering transcription. Phosphorylation events, such as JNK-mediated modification at serine 347, negatively regulate Oct4 by reducing its transcriptional activity and promoting degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, thereby limiting self-renewal under stress conditions. Similarly, phosphorylation within the POU homeodomain at threonine 234 and serine 235 disrupts DNA binding, inhibiting transactivation potential. SUMOylation at lysine 118 (K118 in mouse, K123 in human) has context-dependent effects; while it generally enhances stability and DNA binding in normoxia, under hypoxic conditions it promotes proteasomal degradation and reduces protein stability and activity in human cells.^[29] Ubiquitination targets Oct4 for proteasomal degradation, with disruption of these sites increasing protein half-life and enhancing pluripotency maintenance. Additionally, a 2024 study revealed redox sensitivity through cysteine 48 oxidation, which sensitizes Oct4 to oxidative stress, promoting ubiquitination and degradation while inhibiting DNA binding, thus linking cellular redox state to pluripotency dynamics. Oct4 autoregulation is mediated through feedback loops involving its own binding to the distal enhancer, in concert with Sox2 and Nanog, which amplifies expression in a dose-dependent manner to prevent differentiation. This autoregulatory mechanism ensures precise Oct4 dosage, as even modest variations trigger lineage biases.

Biological Roles

In Embryonic Development and Pluripotency

Oct-4, encoded by the POU5F1 gene, plays a pivotal role in early embryonic development by maintaining the pluripotency of the inner cell mass (ICM) within the blastocyst. In mice, Oct-4 is essential for establishing and preserving ICM identity, as its absence leads to the failure of pluripotent cells to form, resulting in embryos composed entirely of trophoblast-like cells despite reaching the blastocyst stage.^[30] This knockout phenotype underscores Oct-4's function as a gatekeeper of pluripotency, preventing premature differentiation into extraembryonic lineages during preimplantation stages.^[31] Within the pluripotency regulatory network, Oct-4 forms a core transcriptional circuit with SOX2 and NANOG, where mutual activation sustains the undifferentiated state of embryonic cells. High levels of Oct-4 reinforce this self-sustaining loop by promoting the expression of pluripotency factors while suppressing differentiation genes, whereas precise dosage control is critical for lineage commitment; elevated levels promote primitive endoderm differentiation, while reduced levels drive trophectoderm fate.00825-5) This dosage-dependent mechanism ensures that embryonic cells remain poised for subsequent developmental transitions. Animal models highlight Oct-4's conserved yet nuanced roles across species. In mice, Oct-4 is indispensable for ICM formation and pluripotency maintenance, as demonstrated by targeted disruptions.^[30] In humans, Oct-4 similarly supports pluripotency but operates within distinct states: the naive state, akin to the preimplantation epiblast, relies on Oct-4 alongside LIF/STAT3 signaling for ground-state maintenance, while the primed state, resembling postimplantation epiblast, integrates Oct-4 with Activin/Nodal pathways for epiblast progression.^[32] In zebrafish, the ortholog Pou5f1 is required for proper embryonic patterning; maternal-zygotic mutants exhibit reduced expression of pluripotency-associated genes and fail to specify endoderm properly, leading to expanded mesodermal domains and diminished equivalents of mammalian pluripotent cell populations.^[33] The functional specificity of Oct-4 is mediated through heterodimerization with SOX2, which binds composite DNA motifs to co-regulate target genes. Oct-4/SOX2 complexes activate pluripotency genes such as Nanog by enhancing promoter accessibility and transcription, while simultaneously repressing lineage-specific genes like Gata6 to inhibit primitive endoderm differentiation.00825-5) This dual regulatory action ensures balanced gene expression critical for embryonic fate decisions.

In Embryonic and Adult Stem Cells

Oct-4, also known as OCT4 or POU5F1, serves as a critical marker of the undifferentiated state in embryonic stem cells (ESCs), where its expression levels must be precisely maintained to sustain pluripotency and prevent differentiation.^[3] In ESCs, Oct-4 regulates self-renewal by activating key pluripotency genes and repressing lineage-specific programs, ensuring the balance between proliferation and differentiation. For instance, Oct-4 directly binds to the promoter of Tcl1, an anti-apoptotic gene that enhances Akt kinase activity to promote cell survival and self-renewal in pluripotent cells.^[34] In ESCs, Oct-4 influences cell cycle progression to support rapid proliferation characteristic of the undifferentiated state. Specifically, Oct-4, in cooperation with Sox2, transcriptionally activates the miR-302 microRNA cluster, which targets and represses cyclin D1 translation, thereby shortening the G1 phase and facilitating continuous cell division.^[35] Additionally, Oct-4 contributes to heterochromatin maintenance by partnering with the histone methyltransferase Eset (Setdb1) to deposit repressive H3K9me3 marks on promoters of trophectoderm-associated genes, such as Cdx2, thereby safeguarding the pluripotent identity. Depletion of Oct-4 in ESCs disrupts this balance, leading to rapid upregulation of trophectoderm markers like Cdx2 and Hand1, and subsequent loss of pluripotency.^[36] In adult stem cells, Oct-4 expression is more restricted and context-dependent compared to ESCs, primarily supporting stemness in specific niches such as the germline. For example, Oct-4 is essential for the self-renewal of spermatogonial stem cells, where its knockout impairs proliferation and survival without affecting somatic lineages.^[37] Expression in other adult populations, such as mesenchymal or hematopoietic stem cells, remains debated, with low or undetectable levels of functional Oct-4 reported in hematopoietic stem cells, indicating it is dispensable for their maintenance.^[38] However, Oct-4 promotes proliferation and multipotency in neural crest stem cells, where it sustains a primitive, ESC-like state during migration and differentiation potential.^[39] Isoform-specific roles further distinguish Oct-4 function across stem cell types. The OCT4A isoform predominates in ESCs, driving pluripotency through its transcriptional activity, whereas OCT4B is more variably expressed in adult stem cells and associated with stress responses, such as DNA damage repair, without sustaining self-renewal on its own.^[40] This differential isoform usage underscores Oct-4's adaptable contributions to stemness maintenance beyond embryonic contexts.

Reprogramming and Therapeutic Applications

Role in Induced Pluripotency

Oct-4 (also known as OCT4 or Pou5f1) serves as a core component of the Yamanaka factors, alongside Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc, which were first demonstrated to reprogram mouse embryonic and adult fibroblasts into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in 2006.00976-7) This combination enables somatic cells to revert to a pluripotent state by reactivating the endogenous pluripotency network, though Oct-4 alone is insufficient for full reprogramming as it requires cooperation with the other factors to achieve efficient conversion.^[3] Specifically, Oct-4 is essential for silencing somatic genes during the early stages of reprogramming, facilitating the suppression of lineage-specific programs and the establishment of pluripotency. Mechanistically, Oct-4 functions as a pioneer transcription factor that binds directly to nucleosome-wrapped DNA, promoting chromatin opening and accessibility at pluripotency loci.^[41] This nucleosome-binding activity allows Oct-4 to initiate remodeling of closed chromatin regions, enabling subsequent recruitment of co-factors like Sox2 and activation of the endogenous pluripotency gene network, including Nanog and Sall4.^[42] Through these interactions, Oct-4 not only opens silent genomic regions but also stabilizes the pluripotency circuitry, distinguishing it from non-pioneer factors that require prior chromatin accessibility. To enhance safety and efficiency, reprogramming protocols have evolved to include non-integrating delivery methods, such as synthetic modified mRNA for the Yamanaka factors, which transiently express Oct-4 without genomic insertion risks.^[43] Recent optimizations leverage Oct-4's redox sensitivity, where a cysteine residue (Cys48) in its DNA-binding domain responds to oxidative stress to modulate activity; mutating this residue (e.g., C48S) improves reprogramming efficiency by reducing inhibition under varying cellular redox conditions.^[44] Additionally, fusion proteins like EWS-Oct4, which replace wild-type Oct-4, have been shown to sustain self-renewal and enhance pluripotency maintenance in embryonic stem cells, potentially offering alternatives for iPSC generation.^[45] Reprogramming efficiency is influenced by Oct-4 dosage thresholds, where optimal protein levels are critical—insufficient expression fails to activate pluripotency genes, while excess can lead to aberrant activation or reduced colony formation.^[46] Species-specific differences further complicate protocols; for instance, human OCT4 exhibits distinct binding preferences and reprogramming competences compared to mouse Oct4, often requiring adjusted factor combinations or higher expression levels for comparable iPSC yields.^[47]

Applications in Regenerative Medicine

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes have emerged as a promising avenue for cardiac regenerative therapies, with significant advances in 2024 focusing on enhancing cellular maturity to better mimic adult cardiomyocytes. Techniques such as metabolic maturation media have improved structural and functional maturity, including increased sarcomere organization and contractile force, enabling more effective engraftment and repair in preclinical models of heart failure.^[48] Similarly, iPSC-derived neural cells, modulated by OCT4 to promote reprogramming of neural stem cells (NSCs) into midbrain dopaminergic neurons, hold potential for Parkinson's disease treatment by replacing lost dopaminergic populations and restoring motor function in animal models.^[49] Gene editing approaches, particularly CRISPR activation of endogenous neuronal genes, facilitate direct reprogramming of fibroblasts into neurons without viral integration, offering a safer alternative for generating patient-specific neural cells for transplantation. This method activates neuronal factors like NEUROD1, yielding functional induced neurons with improved efficiency and reduced genomic risks compared to traditional overexpression.^[50] A key challenge in OCT4-mediated regenerative therapies is mitigating tumorigenicity arising from aberrant OCT4 expression in residual undifferentiated cells; strategies involving precise dosage control, such as inducible promoters or partial replacement in reprogramming cocktails, have shown promise in limiting teratoma formation while preserving therapeutic efficacy. Recent preclinical and early clinical advances, including 2024-2025 trials of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes for cardiac repair, demonstrate improved safety profiles with controlled OCT4 levels during differentiation. For vascular diseases, hypoimmunogenic iPSC-derived endothelial cells enhance angiogenesis in ischemia models, with ongoing 2025 studies exploring variants for peripheral artery disease therapy.^[51]^[52]^[53] OCT4 plays a pivotal role in generating iPSC-derived organoids for drug testing, where its expression maintains pluripotency during initial expansion, allowing faithful recapitulation of tissue architecture for high-throughput screening of toxicity and efficacy in personalized medicine. Additionally, fusion proteins like EWS-Oct4 serve as non-integrating alternatives to wild-type OCT4, enhancing self-renewal in stem cell cultures without viral vectors, thereby reducing genomic integration risks in therapeutic applications.^[54]^[45]

Pathological Implications

In Cancer Progression and Resistance

OCT4 plays a critical role in maintaining the cancer stem cell (CSC) pool across various malignancies, including glioma and breast cancer, where its expression sustains self-renewal and tumor-initiating properties.^[55] In glioblastoma, OCT4 co-expression with SOX2 and NANOG in stem-like cells promotes multilineage potential and resistance to therapies, contributing to tumor recurrence. Similarly, in breast cancer, OCT4 drives epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in CSCs, correlating with advanced tumor pathology and reduced patient survival rates. Elevated OCT4 levels in these contexts are consistently linked to poor clinical prognosis, as high expression predicts metastasis and therapy failure. Overexpression of OCT4 has been implicated in aggressive phenotypes in specific cancers. In prostate cancer, OCT4 upregulation enhances tumor aggressiveness, higher Gleason scores, and lineage plasticity, facilitating progression to metastatic states. In head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), OCT4 confers radioresistance by regulating DNA repair factors like PSMC3IP and homologous recombination pathways, as demonstrated in studies from 2021.^[56] Gastric cancer exhibits OCT4-driven metastasis, with high expression associated with nodal involvement, advanced staging, and poorer outcomes, per 2019 analyses.^[57] In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), OCT4 promotes cell proliferation through activation of the survivin/STAT3 signaling axis, exacerbating tumor growth as reported in 2018 research.^[58] For renal cell carcinoma, particularly aggressive clear-cell variants, elevated OCT4 marks CSCs and correlates with high-grade tumors and metastatic potential, as shown in studies including a 2018 analysis of Oct4 and Nanog co-expression predicting poor prognosis.^[59] Mechanistically, OCT4 fosters cancer progression by enhancing lineage plasticity, allowing tumor cells to dedifferentiate and adapt to therapeutic pressures. It also induces EMT, promoting invasion and dissemination while upregulating ABC transporters that efflux chemotherapeutic agents, thereby conferring multidrug resistance in CSCs. The OCT4B isoform specifically responds to cellular stresses like genotoxic damage and hypoxia, supporting anchorage-independent growth and survival in harsh tumor microenvironments. Recent studies (as of 2025) further implicate OCT4 in shaping the tumor microenvironment by promoting extracellular matrix remodeling, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, metabolic adaptations, angiogenesis, and immune suppression, enhancing overall tumor progression.^[60] Therapeutically, targeting OCT4 shows promise in sensitizing cancers to treatment. Knockdown of OCT4 via RNA interference reduces invasion and proliferation in models like pancreatic and bladder cancer by inhibiting pathways such as AKT and enhancing chemosensitivity to agents like cisplatin. In resistant prostate and lung cancers, OCT4 inhibition disrupts CSC maintenance, suggesting its utility as a biomarker and therapeutic target to overcome resistance.

In Non-Cancerous Diseases

OCT4 dysregulation has been implicated in various developmental disorders, particularly those affecting germ cell development and leading to infertility. In mouse models, conditional knockout of Oct4 (encoded by Pou5f1) results in apoptosis of primordial germ cells (PGCs) between embryonic days 9.5 and 10.5, leading to a significant reduction in PGC numbers—up to 70% by day 10.5—and severe postnatal germ cell depletion.^[61] This manifests as germ cell aplasia, with adult males exhibiting 30–100% germ-cell-free seminiferous tubules and females showing 25–100 times fewer primordial follicles, ultimately causing sterility or impaired fertility.^[61] In humans, while direct mutations are rare due to Oct4's essential role, ectopic or dysregulated POU5F1 expression in the male germ lineage disrupts spermatogonial differentiation, contributing to spermatogenic failure and infertility phenotypes akin to germ cell aplasia.^[62] Furthermore, regulatory variants in POU5F1 have been associated with congenital anomalies, such as heart malformations; low-frequency functional variants increase the risk of congenital heart disease by altering enhancer activity and gene expression during cardiogenesis.^[63] Dysregulated POU5F1 expression is also observed in dysgenetic gonads, where abnormal OCT4 patterns correlate with gonadal developmental defects and intersex conditions.^[64] In degenerative diseases, aberrant OCT4 upregulation contributes to pathological tissue remodeling. Post-myocardial infarction (MI), OCT4 expression in non-myocyte cells, including cardiac fibroblasts, mediates partial reprogramming toward cardiomyocyte-like states, potentially aiding repair.^[65] In vascular contexts, OCT4-mediated reprogramming of endothelial or valvular cells induces inflammation and transdifferentiation, leading to calcification and fibrotic lesions in aortic valves—a process observed in both mouse models and human samples where OCT4+ cells originate from embryonic lineages and drive disease progression.^[66] For neurodegeneration, iPSC-derived motor neurons from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients exhibit aberrant OCT4 persistence, with expression exceeding 100 times the interquartile range in some cultures compared to controls, potentially contributing to cellular stress, impaired differentiation, and heightened vulnerability to degeneration.^[67] OCT4 implications extend to other non-cancerous pathologies, including autoimmune conditions and vascular diseases. Genetic polymorphisms in POU5F1 are linked to psoriasis vulgaris, an autoimmune disorder, where variants influence non-pluripotent cell functions and exacerbate inflammatory responses in skin tissues.^[68] In autoimmune settings, OCT4 dysregulation may promote stem cell exhaustion, as seen in hematopoietic or mesenchymal stem cells where altered pluripotency networks lead to reduced regenerative capacity and chronic inflammation. Recent 2024 studies highlight OCT4's role in vascular diseases through endothelial reprogramming; partial activation of OCT4 (via OSK factors) in endothelial cells reverses hypertension-induced dysfunction in mouse models by improving vascular compliance and reducing stiffness, though aberrant sustained expression risks pathological endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition.^[69] Modulating OCT4 holds therapeutic potential for non-cancerous disease modeling and treatment. In disease modeling, OCT4 is a core factor in reprogramming patient fibroblasts to iPSCs, enabling generation of disease-specific cell types; for instance, iPSCs from ALS patient fibroblasts yield motor neurons that recapitulate TDP-43 pathology and mitochondrial dysfunction, facilitating drug screening without ethical concerns.^[70] This approach extends to other conditions, such as vascular diseases, where OCT4-modulated iPSC-derived endothelial cells model endothelial dysfunction and test reprogramming strategies for repair.^[69]

Evolutionary Conservation

Mammalian Orthologs

The Oct-4 orthologs in mammals, encoded by the POU5F1 gene, display a high degree of sequence conservation, with approximately 85% overall amino acid identity between human and mouse proteins, particularly in the POU DNA-binding domain.^[47] This conservation extends to their critical functions in maintaining pluripotency within the inner cell mass (ICM) of the blastocyst. In mice, homozygous knockout of the Oct4 gene results in embryonic lethality around implantation, as the ICM cells fail to proliferate and instead differentiate into trophectoderm, highlighting Oct-4's indispensable role in ICM specification. Similarly, human OCT4 is essential for ICM formation and pluripotency, with disruptions leading to comparable defects in early human embryogenesis models.^[71] Orthologs in other mammals, such as bovine and rat, exhibit similarly high sequence conservation with human and mouse OCT4 (approximately 90% identity for bovine-human), including comparable isoform structures that support pluripotency networks.^[72]^[73] In bovine embryos, OCT4 maintains NANOG-positive pluripotency in the epiblast, akin to human but distinct from mouse development, where it is required for both pluripotency and hypoblast lineage commitment. Rat Pou5f1 shares over 95% identity with mouse Oct4 and drives similar ICM functions in rat embryonic stem cells.^[74] The monotreme platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) Pou5f1 ortholog illustrates early mammalian evolutionary features, showing functional activity consistent with evolving roles in early differentiation, a process more specialized in therian mammals. Unlike higher mammals, platypus Pou5f1 lacks a key enhancer promoter region for autoregulation, suggesting this regulatory evolution occurred after the monotreme-therian divergence.^[75] Functional conservation is evidenced by cross-species complementation assays, where human OCT4 effectively rescues pluripotency and self-renewal in mouse Oct4-null embryonic stem cells, restoring their ability to form teratomas and contribute to chimeras. This interchangeability underscores shared molecular mechanisms despite species differences.^[71] Subtle variations exist in non-coding regions, such as promoter elements, which influence expression dynamics. For instance, human OCT4 promoters support expression in the primed pluripotent state of embryonic stem cells, characterized by delayed X-chromosome inactivation and epiblast-like features, differing from the naive state regulated by mouse Oct4 promoters. These differences arise from evolutionary divergence in upstream regulatory sequences while preserving core gene structure.^[76]^[73]

Non-Mammalian Orthologs

Orthologs of the mammalian OCT4 gene (POU5F1) are found across non-mammalian vertebrates, particularly in jawed vertebrates (gnathostomes), where the POU5 family expanded through gene duplication events. In teleost fish, which underwent a whole-genome duplication, two paralogous genes, Pou5f1 and Pou5f3, emerged, contrasting with the single POU5F1 in tetrapods. For instance, in zebrafish (Danio rerio), pou5f1 (also known as pou2 or spg) is expressed in the blastoderm margin during early embryogenesis and plays a critical role in epiboly movements and endoderm specification.^[77] Similarly, in medaka (Oryzias latipes), the orthologous Oloct4 gene is a single-copy Pou5f1 homolog expressed in early embryos and germ stem cells, essential for blastula formation and the derivation of pluripotent cell lines.^[78]^[79] The evolutionary origin of POU5 functions in supporting pluripotency traces back to the gnathostome lineage, prior to the teleost-specific duplication, as evidenced by phylogenetic analyses of sequences from chondrichthyans (e.g., catsharks) and sarcopterygians (e.g., coelacanth).^[80] In non-mammalian vertebrates, these orthologs exhibit broader roles beyond strict pluripotency maintenance, extending to organogenesis and germ layer patterning. In Xenopus laevis, the homologs XLPOU91 (also called Xoct4 or Pou5f3.1) and Oct25 (Pou5f3.2) regulate transitions between mesoderm and neuroectoderm, suppressing premature differentiation during gastrulation and coordinating germ layer specification.^[81] In zebrafish, pou5f1 contributes to midbrain-hindbrain boundary formation, isthmus development via regulation of pax2a, and posterior neural tube organogenesis, highlighting divergent functions in tissue patterning.^[82]^[77] Functional conservation is demonstrated through comparative assays where non-mammalian POU5 orthologs partially rescue pluripotency in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). For example, zebrafish Pou5f3 shows limited rescue capacity compared to mammalian OCT4, while medaka Pou5f1 supports naïve pluripotency, and Xenopus XLPOU91 effectively maintains ESC self-renewal, underscoring an ancestral pluripotency-supporting role that has diversified in lower vertebrates.^[80] These findings indicate that while POU5 orthologs retain core transcriptional mechanisms for multipotency, their expanded involvement in developmental processes reflects adaptations post-gnathostome divergence.^[83]

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Mechanisms of OCT4-SOX2 motif readout on nucleosomes - Science
Apr 23, 2020 · OCT4 and SOX2 bound cooperatively to strengthen DNA-binding affinity and resulted in DNA distortions that destabilized the nucleosome.
[17]
Histone modifications regulate pioneer transcription factor ... - Nature
May 24, 2023 · Here we present cryo-electron microscopy structures of human OCT4 bound to a nucleosome containing human LIN28B or nMATN1 DNA sequences, both of ...
[18]
Structural mechanism of LIN28B nucleosome targeting by OCT4
Jun 15, 2023 · Here, we report the cryo-EM structures of the nucleosome containing human LIN28B DNA derived from the chromatin locus bound by OCT4 during cell ...
[19]
Structural mechanism of LIN28B nucleosome targeting by OCT4 for ...
Here, we report the cryo-EM structures of the nucleosome containing human LIN28B DNA derived from the chromatin locus bound by OCT4 during cell ...
[20]
OCT4 interprets and enhances nucleosome flexibility
Sep 22, 2022 · Oct4 is known to bind cooperatively with Sox2 in the genome (15–22). Recent studies suggest they may also work together as pioneers on ...
[21]
Role of Oct4 in the early embryo development - Cell Regeneration
Apr 29, 2014 · Schematic representation of the protein domains of the mouse Oct4 isoforms and the corresponding exons. Exon1B of Oct4B is in the intron 1–2 ...Maternal Oct4 Expression Is... · Oct4-Null Oocytes Can... · How Oct4 Is Activated In The...
[22]
Role of Oct4 in the early embryo development - ScienceDirect.com
Apr 29, 2014 · ... Oct4 expression is restricted to cells of the ICM in the blastocyst. After implantation, Oct4 expression is maintained in the epiblast.
[23]
OCT4 spliced variants are differentially expressed in ... - PubMed
Our data revealed that whereas OCT4A expression is restricted to embryonic stem (ES) and embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells, OCT4B can be detected in various ...<|separator|>
[24]
Quantitative expression of Oct-3/4 defines differentiation ... - PubMed
We found that the precise level of Oct-3/4 governs three distinct fates of ES cells. A less than twofold increase in expression causes differentiation.Missing: dosage | Show results with:dosage
[25]
Spatiotemporal dynamics of OCT4 protein localization during ...
Spatiotemporal expression of transcription factors is crucial for genomic reprogramming. Pou5f1 (Oct4) is an essential transcription factor for reprogramming. A ...Missing: spatial temporal
[26]
Formation of Pluripotent Stem Cells in the Mammalian Embryo ...
We report that the activity of Oct4 is essential for the identity of the pluripotential founder cell population in the mammalian embryo.
[27]
Formation of pluripotent stem cells in the mammalian embryo ...
Oct4-deficient embryos develop to the blastocyst stage, but the inner cell mass cells are not pluripotent. Instead, they are restricted to differentiation ...
[28]
Derivation of naïve human embryonic stem cells - PNAS
We report on generation of nontransgenic, naïve human pluripotent cells that represent the developmentally earliest state described for human established cells.
[29]
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[30]
Octamer 4 Small Interfering RNA Results in Cancer Stem Cell–Like ...
Because Tcl1 has been shown to be transcriptionally controlled by Oct4 in ES cells, the change in Tcl1 at the RNA level in tumor cells was confirmed by RT-PCR.
[31]
Oct4/Sox2-regulated miR-302 targets cyclin D1 in human ... - PubMed
Oct4 and Sox2 are transcription factors required for pluripotency during early embryogenesis and for the maintenance of embryonic stem cell (ESC) identity.
[32]
Oct4 maintains the pluripotency of human embryonic stem cells by ...
Higher or lower than normal levels of Oct4 induce the differentiation of ESCs into primitive endoderm/mesoderm or trophectoderm respectively, indicating that ...
[33]
Spermatogonial stem cell self-renewal requires OCT4, a ... - PubMed
Octamer-4 (OCT4) plays a critical role in pluripotency and cell survival of embryonic stem cells and primordial germ cells; however, it is not known whether it ...
[34]
Oct4 Expression Is Not Required for Mouse Somatic Stem Cell Self ...
Oct 11, 2007 · We conclude that Oct4 is dispensable for both self-renewal and maintenance of somatic stem cells in the adult mammal.
[35]
Regulation of Oct4 in stem cells and neural crest cells - PMC
The POU transcription factor Oct4 (encoded by Pou5f1) lies at the center of the pluripotency machinery that regulates stemness and differentiation in stem cells ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[36]
OCT4 Spliced Variants Are Differentially Expressed in Human ...
Thus, we have now investigated the expression pattern of OCT4A and. OCT4B spliced variants in different human pluripotent and nonpluripotent cell types.
[37]
Nucleosome binding by the pioneer transcription factor OCT4 - Nature
Jul 16, 2020 · OCT4 has been identified as a pioneer transcription factor required for stem cell pluripotency. To study the nucleosome binding by OCT4, we prepared human OCT4 ...
[38]
Dissecting OCT4 defines the role of nucleosome binding in ...
The cooperative binding of OCT4 and SOX2 to DNA has long been known to enhance stability and specificity. As expected, the OCT4-del-73 mutant displays enhanced ...
[39]
Generation of iPSCs by Nonintegrative RNA-Based Reprogramming ...
Jun 19, 2019 · In this study, 2 different RNA-based footprint-free methods for the generation of iPSCs were compared: the use of synthetic modified messenger RNAs (mRNAs) or ...
[40]
Oct4 redox sensitivity potentiates reprogramming and differentiation
May 7, 2024 · The two DNA binding subdomains of mouse Oct1 and Oct4, termed the POU-specific domain (POUS) and POU homeodomain (POUH), share 71% and 59% ...Results · Oct4 Escs Differentiate... · Materials And Methods
[41]
The self-renewal function of Oct-4 can be replaced by the EWS-Oct ...
Oct-4 has remarkable abilities for self-renewal of ES cells and can maintain pluripotency and stemness of these cells [4, 6, 7]. To investigate whether EWS-Oct ...
[42]
Synthetic genetic circuits to uncover the OCT4 trajectories of ... - NIH
Nov 29, 2023 · To further probe the effect of OCT4 dosage on reprogramming efficiency, we split the data describing the broad OCT4-mNeonGreen distribution ...
[43]
Reprogramming competence of OCT factors is determined ... - Science
Our findings clarify how reprogramming competences of OCT factors are conferred through their structural components.
[44]
Metabolic Culture Medium Enhances Maturation of Human iPSC ...
Our findings demonstrate that the multicomponent metabolic maturation medium (MM-1) effectively enhances the transition toward a more mature iCM phenotype, as ...
[45]
Oct4-Induced Reprogramming Is Required for Adult Brain Neural ...
Oct-4 is the master regulator of stem cell pluripotency and differentiation [28] and the methylation of its promoter drives the conversion from primitive NSCs ( ...Missing: modulated | Show results with:modulated
[46]
CRISPRa-mediated reprogramming of somatic cells into neurons
May 24, 2022 · Using the CRISPR/dCas9 system, direct neuronal reprogramming could be achieved by activating endogenous genes. Here, we will discuss the latest ...
[47]
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aaz7364
[48]
Clinical translation of human iPSC technologies: advances, safety ...
In non-human primates, iPSC-derived cardiomyocyte patches improved cardiac performance but induced transient arrhythmias, which indicates the safety and ...
[49]
Therapeutic effects of hypoimmunogenic universal human iPSC ...
Aug 6, 2025 · Cell-based therapy using endothelial cells (ECs) has been envisioned as a promising strategy to enhance angiogenesis for the treatment of PAD.
[50]
Application Prospect of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Organoids ...
iPSC-derived organoids can be used for drug screening. iPSCs derived from somatic cells can differentiate into 3D organoids, which can provide a disease ...2.5. Piggybac · 4.2. Liver Organoids · 5.4. 2. Nk Cells
[51]
Oct4 is required for primordial germ cell survival | EMBO reports
### Summary of Oct4 Role in Primordial Germ Cell Survival and Implications for Infertility or Germ Cell Aplasia
[52]
Ectopic POU5F1 in the male germ lineage disrupts differentiation ...
The results suggest that POU5F1 downregulation in differentiating spermatogonia is a necessary step for the progression of spermatogenesis.Missing: aplasia | Show results with:aplasia
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Evaluation of regulatory genetic variants in POU5F1 and risk of ...
Oct 28, 2015 · These findings indicate for the first time that low-frequency functional variant in POU5F1 may contribute to the risk of congenital heart malformations.Missing: dysregulation | Show results with:dysregulation
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Developmental expression of POU5F1 (OCT-3/4) in normal and ...
Feb 10, 2004 · METHODS: The ontogeny of expression of OCT-3/4 was studied in 74 specimens of normal human gonads during development and in 58 samples of gonads.
[55]
p53 Regulates the Extent of Fibroblast Proliferation and Fibrosis in ...
Jul 6, 2023 · This study suggests p53 controls the timing of CF accumulation and the extent of cardiac fibrosis ... Oct4 (octamer-binding transcription ...
[56]
OCT4-mediated inflammation induces cell reprogramming at the ...
Nov 5, 2021 · OCT4 in adult valvular aortic cells leads to calcification of mouse and human valves. These calcifying cells originate from the Oct4 embryonic lineage.
[57]
Large-scale differentiation of iPSC-derived motor neurons from ALS ...
Apr 19, 2023 · One potential problem for iPSC differentiation is the persistence of OCT4/POU5F1 or other pluripotency genes in differentiated cells.
[58]
https://www.spandidos-publications.com/10.3892/or.2018.6491
[59]
A Single-Short Partial Reprogramming of the Endothelial Cells ...
May 21, 2024 · Conclusion Overall, these data indicate that OSK treatment and EC reprogramming can decrease blood pressure and reverse hypertension-induced ...
[60]
A cellular model for sporadic ALS using patient-derived induced ...
We found that iPSC-derived motor neurons expressed motor neuron markers ISLET1 and HB9 (Fig. 1). We also found that neurons were electrically active within ...
[61]
Single-Short Partial Reprogramming of the Endothelial Cells ...
Sep 3, 2025 · Overall, these data indicate that OSK treatment and EC reprogramming can decrease blood pressure and reverse hypertension–induced vascular ...
[62]
Evolutionary origin of vertebrate OCT4/POU5 functions in supporting ...
Sep 21, 2022 · We find that the ability of POU5 proteins to support pluripotency originated in the gnathostome lineage, prior to the generation of two paralogues.
[63]
OCT4/POU5F1 is required for NANOG expression in bovine ... - PNAS
Feb 26, 2018 · We demonstrated that, similar to human development but in contrast to mouse development, OCT4 is required for maintaining NANOG-positive ...
[64]
Comparative analysis of human, bovine, and murine Oct-4 upstream ...
We report here the nucleotide sequence of the 5' upstream regulatory regions of the human and murine Oct-4 genes.Missing: mammalian rat platypus
[65]
Platypus Pou5f1 reveals the first steps in the evolution of ... - PubMed
Platypus Pou5f1, a gene related to trophectoderm, is functional and has a missing promoter region, suggesting autoregulation evolved after monotremes.Missing: OCT4 trophoblast 2009
[66]
Evolution of the mammalian embryonic pluripotency gene ... - PNAS
Of these regions, 11.55% are not conserved between mouse and any other species, more than half (53.26%) are conserved only in rodents (mouse and rat), ...
[67]
Zebrafish Pou5f1‐dependent transcriptional networks in temporal ...
The transcription factor POU5f1/OCT4 controls pluripotency in mammalian ES cells, but little is known about its functions in the early embryo.Pou5f1‐dependent Changes... · Pou5f1 And Soxb1 Proteins... · Her3 Expression Critically...<|control11|><|separator|>
[68]
Medaka Oct4 is essential for pluripotency in blastula ... - PubMed
Oloct4 exists as a single copy gene and is orthologous to pou2 by sequence and chromosome synteny. Oloct4 expression occurs in early embryos, germ stem cells ...Missing: blastoderm | Show results with:blastoderm
[69]
Genome‐wide analysis of the POU genes in medaka, focusing on ...
Aug 26, 2011 · The orthologs of Ol-pou4f4 may have originated by convergence (independent duplications) in teleosts and in amphibians and may have been lost ...
[70]
Evolutionary origin of vertebrate OCT4/POU5 functions in supporting ...
Sep 21, 2022 · Taken together, our data suggest a functional segregation of the sarcopterygian POU5s, with POU5F1 supporting naïve pluripotency and POU5F3 ...Missing: dysregulation congenital disorders<|control11|><|separator|>
[71]
Xenopus laevis POU91 protein, an Oct3/4 homologue, regulates ...
Jul 20, 2006 · A Xenopus Oct3/4 homologue gene, XLPOU91, regulates mesoderm to neuroectoderm transitions. Ectopic XLPOU91 expression in Xenopus embryos ...
[72]
The Oct4-related PouV gene, pou5f3, mediates isthmus ...
The Oct4-related PouV gene, pou5f3, mediates isthmus development in zebrafish by directly and dynamically regulating pax2a. Author links open overlay panelMissing: orthologs organogenesis
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On the origin of POU5F1 | BMC Biology | Full Text
May 9, 2013 · We provide strong indirect evidence that POU5F1 originated at least as early as a common ancestor of gnathostomes but became extinct in a common ancestor of ...