OCT6 inhibits differentiation of porcine-induced pluripotent stem cells through MAPK and PI3K signaling regulation

Abstract

As a transcription factor of the Pit-Oct-Unc (POU) domain family, octamer-binding transcription factor 6 (<i>OCT6</i>) participates in various aspects of stem cell development and differentiation. At present, however, its role in porcine-induced pluripotent stem cells (piPSCs) remains unclear. Here, we explored the function of <i>OCT6</i> in piPSCs. We found that piPSCs overexpressing <i>OCT6</i> maintained colony morphology and pluripotency under differentiation conditions, with a similar gene expression pattern to that of non-differentiated piPSCs. Functional analysis revealed that <i>OCT6</i> attenuated the adverse effects of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway inhibition on piPSC pluripotency by activating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K-AKT) signaling activity. Our research sheds new light on the mechanism by which <i>OCT6</i> promotes PSC maintenance.