The transcritption factors mRNA range is expanding!

KLF4 is a zinc finger transcription factor from the Krüppel family that plays key roles in skin barrier development, cell cycle regulation via p53, and tumor progression. It modulates numerous genes involved in proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis, and is especially notable as one of the four Yamanaka factors essential for inducing the formation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC).

The OZB mRNA encodes its longer isoform, a 513-amino-acid protein with both activation and repression domains.

Nanog is a DNA-binding homeobox transcription factor that plays a crucial role in maintaining the pluripotency and self-renewal of embryonic stem cells. It prevents differentiation, regulates gene expression during development, and is instrumental in somatic cell reprogramming to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

NANOG is also implicated in cancer progression, where its upregulation is linked to metastasis, chemoresistance, and poor prognosis in several malignancies.

Lin28 is a highly conserved RNA-binding protein involved in regulating pluripotency, development, and miRNA processing, particularly by inhibiting let-7 maturation. It functions as reprogramming factor in early embryogenesis and enhances iPSC induction when combined with OSKM transcription factors.

While typically absent in mature tissues, aberrant Lin28 expression is linked to cancer progression, cellular transformation, and therapy resistance.

OCT4 (also known as POU5F1) is a POU homeodomain transcription factor essential for embryonic development and the maintenance of stem cell pluripotency. It plays a crucial role in the self-renewal of undifferentiated embryonic stem cells and is tightly regulated, as its overexpression or underexpression can trigger differentiation.

OCT4 is widely used as a marker for pluripotent cells and has also been linked to tumorigenesis in adult tissues, including pancreatic, lung, liver, and testicular cancers.