(A) In 2TS22C ES cells endogenous is replaced by an inducible transgene (Sox2Zeo) which can be downregulated by addition of doxycycline (Dox)

Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that 12 hours (+12) and 24 hours (+24) after Dox treatment, m was downregulated while expression of other pluripotency-associated genes (m, m, m and m) continued to be expressed. 2O1 ES cells are Sox2-deficient mES cells (asterisk) in which m expression is up-regulated (red bars). (B) ES cells expressing Sox2 (-), Sox2 depleted cells (Dox, Dox) and 2O1 cells were fused to hB-lymphocytes. Successful reprogramming was assessed by quantifying the abundance of human ES-associated transcripts two days after fusion by qRT-PCR. Activation of pluripotency genes in hB-lymphocytes occurs in the absence of mSox2. An elevated induction of h using 2O1 cells as a fusion partner is highlighted by an arrow (red). All data were normalised to expression and error bars indicate the s.d. of 2�3 independent experiments.<b>Copyright information:</b>Taken from "Heterokaryon-Based Reprogramming of Human B Lymphocytes for Pluripotency Requires Oct4 but Not Sox2"PLoS Genetics 2008;4(9):-.Published online 5 Sep 2008PMCID:PMC2527997.Pereira et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.