The role of Zfp352 in the regulation of transient expression of 2‐cell specific genes in mouse embryonic stem cells

Abstract Mouse ES cell populations contain a minor sub‐population that expresses genes specifically expressed in 2‐cell stage embryos. This sub‐population consists of 2‐cell‐gene labeled cells (2CLCs) generated by the transient activation of the 2‐cell specific genes initiated by the master regulator, Dux. However, the mechanism regulating the transient expression remains largely unclear. Here we reported a novel function of Zfp352 , one of the 2‐cell specific genes, in regulating the 2CLC sub‐population. Zfp352 encodes zinc‐finger transcription factor belonging to the Klf family. Dux transiently activates Zfp352 after the activation of Zscan4c in a subset of the 2CLC subpopulation. Interestingly, in the reporter assay, the transcriptional activation of Zscan4c by Dux is strongly repressed by the co‐expression of Zfp352 . However, the knockout of Zfp352 resulted in the repression of a subset of the 2‐cell‐specific genes. These data suggest the dual roles of Zfp352 in regulating the transient activation of the 2‐cell‐specific genes.