Induction of Nanog in neural progenitor cells for adaptive regeneration of ischemic brain

Experimental & Molecular Medicine, Published online: 14 November 2022; doi:10.1038/s12276-022-00880-3The NANOG regulatory protein promotes neuronal regeneration by prompting the self-renewal of progenitor cells following a stroke due to blood vessel blockage (ischemic stroke). NANOG is involved in cellular plasticity and reprogramming, including the maintenance of pluripotent stem cells. Gyung-Ah Jung at the Catholic University of Korea in Seoul, South Korea, and co-workers have demonstrated that NANOG is also critical to the brain’s adaptive response to ischemic stroke. They found that NANOG is preferentially expressed in undifferentiated neuronal cells, and is upregulated under hypoxic (low-oxygen) conditions following a stroke. The activity of Hif-1, a master regulator gene for a hypoxic response, boosts expression of the Nanog gene resulting in hypoxia-induced proliferation of neuronal progenitors. NANOG induction in neuronal progenitor cells trigger a cascade of changes across the brain, including regeneration of brain tissue after hypoxic injury.
Source: Experimental and Molecular Medicine - Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Source Type: research