@article{66c08ce6500645d6a1f794f5d5162f1b,
title = "SMN is required for the maintenance of embryonic stem cells and neuronal differentiation in mice",
abstract = "Survival motor neuron (SMN) is the determining factor in spinal muscular atrophy, the most common genetic cause of childhood mortality. We have previously found that SMN regulates stem cell division, proliferation and differentiation in Drosophila. However, it is unknown whether a similar effect exists in vertebrates. Here, we show that SMN is enriched in highly proliferative embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in mice and reduction of SMN impairs the pluripotency of ESCs. Moreover, we find that SMN reduction activates ERK signaling and affects neuronal differentiation in vitro. Teratomas with reduced SMN grow more slowly and show weaker signals of neuronal differentiation than those with a normal level of SMN. Finally, we show that over-expression of SMN is protective for ESCs from retinoic acid-induced differentiation. Taken together, our results suggest that SMN plays a role in the maintenance of pluripotent ESCs and neuronal differentiation in mice.",
keywords = "Embryonic stem cell (ESC), ERK signaling, Neuronal differentiation, Survival motor neuron (SMN)",
author = "Chang, {Wei Fang} and Jie Xu and Chang, {Chia Chun} and Yang, {Shang Hsun} and Li, {Hsin Yang} and Hsieh-Li, {Hsiu Mei} and Tsai, {Mong Hsun} and Wu, {Shinn Chih} and Cheng, {Winston T.K.} and Liu, {Ji Long} and Sung, {Li Ying}",
note = "Funding Information: We thank Kun-Hsiung Lee for providing the trophectoderm stem cells. We also thank Joint Center for Instruments and Researches, College of Bioresources and Agriculture in National Taiwan University for sharing the laser-scanning confocal microscopy facility and providing analysis for flow cytometry. The shRNAs were generated and obtained from the National RNAi Core Facility in the Institute of Molecular Biology, Genomic Research Center, Academia Sinica. We are grateful to Andrew Bassett, Ruben Cauchi, Kay Davies, Stuart Grice, Hung-Fu Liao, Shau-Ping Lin, Todd Nystul, Chris Ponting, Priscilla Goldby and James Sleigh for their comments on this manuscript. This study was supported by the National Science Council, Taiwan, ROC (Grant Number 97-2313-B-002-006-MY3 and NSC 100-2313-B-002-051-MY2) to LYS and UK Medical Research Council to JLL. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2014, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.",
year = "2015",
month = may,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1007/s00429-014-0743-7",
language = "English",
volume = "220",
pages = "1539--1553",
journal = "Brain Structure and Function",
issn = "1863-2653",
publisher = "Springer Verlag",
number = "3",
}