Mouse ES cell populations contain a minor sub-population that expresses genes specifically expressed in 2-cell stage embryos. This sub-population consists of 2-cell-gene labeled cells (2CLCs) generated by the transient activation of the 2-cell specific genes initiated by the master regulator, Dux. However, the mechanism regulating the transient expression remains largely unclear. Here we reported a novel function of Zfp352, one of the 2-cell specific genes, in regulating the 2CLC sub-population. Zfp352 encodes zinc-finger transcription factor belonging to the Klf family. Dux transiently activates Zfp352 after the activation of Zscan4c in a subset of the 2CLC subpopulation. Interestingly, in the reporter assay, the transcriptional activation of Zscan4c by Dux is strongly repressed by the co-expression of Zfp352. However, the knockout of Zfp352 resulted in the repression of a subset of the 2-cell-specific genes. These data suggest the dual roles of Zfp352 in regulating the transient activation of the 2-cell-specific genes.

中文翻译：

---

Zfp352在小鼠胚胎干细胞中2细胞特异性基因瞬时表达调控中的作用

小鼠 ES 细胞群包含一个较小的亚群，其表达在 2 细胞阶段胚胎中特异性表达的基因。该亚群由 2 细胞基因标记细胞 (2CLC) 组成，这些细胞是由主调节器 Dux 启动的 2 细胞特异性基因瞬时激活而产生的。然而，调节瞬时表达的机制仍不清楚。在这里，我们报道了Zfp352（2 细胞特异性基因之一）在调节 2CLC 亚群中的新功能。Zfp352编码属于 Klf 家族的锌指转录因子。在 2CLC 亚群的一个子集中激活Zscan4c后， Dux 会短暂激活Zfp352 。有趣的是，在报告基因检测中，Dux 对Zscan4c的转录激活受到Zfp352共表达的强烈抑制。然而， Zfp352的敲除导致 2 细胞特异性基因的子集受到抑制。这些数据表明Zfp352在调节 2 细胞特异性基因的瞬时激活中发挥双重作用。