OCT4 and PAX6 determine the dual function of SOX2 in human ESCs as a key pluripotent or neural factor.
Shuchen ZhangEmma BellHuihan ZhiSarah BrownSiti A M ImranVéronique AzuaraWei CuiPublished in: Stem cell research & therapy (2019)
Our work provides direct evidence that SOX2 is necessarily required for hESC pluripotency; however, it can also function as a neural factor, depending on the environmental input. OCT4 and PAX6 might function as key SOX2-interacting partners that determine the function of SOX2 in hESCs.