Maurizio Zuccotti*,1, Valeria Merico2, Martina Belli2, Francesca Mulas3, Lucia Sacchi4, Blaz Zupan3,5, Carlo Alberto Redi2, Alessandro Prigione6, James Adjaye6,7, Riccardo Bellazzi3,4 and Silvia Garagna*,2,3,8
1Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Biotecnologiche e Traslazionali, Universita' degli Studi di Parma, Italy, 2Laboratorio di Biologia dello Sviluppo, Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie 'Lazzaro Spallanzani', Universita` degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia, Italy, 3Centre for Tissue Engineering, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy, 4Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale e dell'Informazione, Universita’ degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia, Italy,
ABSTRACT The role that the transcription factor OCT4 plays during oocyte growth is yet unknown. In this review, we summarise the data on its potential role in the acquisition of oocyte developmental competence in the mouse. These studies describe the presence in MII oocytes and 2-cell embryos of an OCT4 transcriptional network that might be part of the molecular signature of maternal origin on which the inner cell mass and the embryonic stem cell-associated pluripotency is assembled and shaped. The Oct4-gene regulatory network thus provides a connection between eggs, early preimplantation embryos and embryonic stem cells.
Keywords:*Corresponding author e-mail: maurizio.zuccotti@unipr.it ; silvia.garagna@unipv.it