{"id":21820,"date":"2026-05-13T16:23:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T16:23:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/21820\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T16:23:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T16:23:51","slug":"two-proteins-one-goal-new-findings-on-stem-cell-differentiation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/21820\/","title":{"rendered":"Two proteins, one goal: New findings on stem cell differentiation"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\"Fig.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

image:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Overview of the study.<\/p>\n

Left: In wild-type cells, RLF\/ZFP292 support the proper function of the CoREST complex, leading to the removal of active histone marks and preventing excessive expression of differentiation-associated genes.<\/p>\n

Right: In the absence of RLF\/ZFP292, CoREST complex function is impaired, resulting in an increase in active histone marks and elevated expression of differentiation-associated genes. Consequently, the undifferentiated state cannot be maintained, and cells undergo differentiation.<\/p>\n

view more\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Credit: The University of Osaka<\/p>\n

Osaka, Japan \u2013 Stem cells are the original cell type that all other cells and tissues in the body develop from, carried out through a very tightly regulated process. However, how stem cells differentiate in addition to gene-control systems, such as canonical REST repression, which prevents gene expression in inappropriate tissues, has remained unknown.<\/p>\n

Now, researchers from Japan have found an overlapping two-factor system that plays an important role in controlling when and how these cells differentiate. In a study published this month in Cell Reports, researchers from The University of Osaka have revealed that two proteins with very similar functions are key regulators of early steps in cellular development and maturation.<\/p>\n

Embryonic stem cells can develop into all the different types of cells present in the adult body, from brain cells to liver cells, through a process called differentiation. This process is tightly regulated by activating and repressing factors that bind to the promoters of developmental genes to maintain them in a \u2018poised\u2019 state, where these genes can either be switched on or kept off as needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cA key mechanism for inhibiting the expression of genes associated with stem cell differentiation involves repressor complexes such as CoREST,\u201d says lead author, Takamasa Ito. \u201cHowever, it remains unclear how CoREST-mediated repression is stably maintained and which other factors help in repressing expression of these genes.\u201d<\/p>\n

To explore this, the researchers tested the role of two proteins, RLF and ZFP292, which previous studies had suggested may help regulate stem cell gene expression. They looked at where these factors bound themselves across the genome and deleted these factors, both individually and together, to determine the effect on gene expression.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe results were very striking,\u201d explains senior author, Chikashi Obuse. \u201cWe found that RLF and ZFP292 play virtually the same role, in that they stabilize the CoREST complex at gene promoters in embryonic stem cells to repress gene expression.\u201d<\/p>\n

The presence of either RLF or ZFP292, or both together, at these promoters prevented stem cells from drifting toward differentiation. When these proteins were lost, promoters that were normally repressed became active, leading to the expression of genes associated with differentiation.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur results show that RLF and ZFP292 modulate the activity of the CoREST complex to carefully control gene expression in stem cells,\u201d says Ito.<\/p>\n

These findings may lead to the development of new techniques for maintaining stem cell quality for research and clinical applications. They also help advance our understanding of diseases caused by dysregulated gene expression and could potentially be applied to develop new treatments.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

The article, \u201cRLF\/ZFP292 stabilize CoREST-linked LSD1 engagement at bivalent promoters to safeguard pluripotency,\u201d was published this month in Cell Reports at DOI: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.celrep.2026.117293<\/a><\/p>\n

About The University of Osaka<\/p>\n

The University of Osaka was founded in 1931 as one of the seven imperial universities of Japan and is now one of Japan’s leading comprehensive universities with a broad disciplinary spectrum. This strength is coupled with a singular drive for innovation that extends throughout the scientific process, from fundamental research to the creation of applied technology with positive economic impacts. Its commitment to innovation has been recognized in Japan and around the world. Now, The University of Osaka is leveraging its role as a Designated National University Corporation selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to contribute to innovation for human welfare, sustainable development of society, and social transformation.<\/p>\n

Website: https:\/\/resou.osaka-u.ac.jp\/en<\/a><\/p>\n

Method of Research<\/p>\n

Experimental study<\/p>\n

Subject of Research<\/p>\n

Cells<\/p>\n

Article Title<\/p>\n

RLF\/ZFP292 stabilize CoREST-linked LSD1 engagement at bivalent promoters to\u3000safeguard pluripotency<\/p>\n

Article Publication Date<\/p>\n

16-Apr-2026<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"image:\u00a0 \u00a0Overview of the study. Left: In wild-type cells, RLF\/ZFP292 support the proper function of the CoREST complex,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21821,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[8,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-21820","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-osaka","8":"tag-japan","9":"tag-osaka"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21820"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21820\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}