Gene expression microarray for mouse ES cells vs. mouse ES cells treated with 48 hr N2B27

Core circuits of transcription factors stabilize stem and progenitor cells by suppressing genes required for differentiation. We do not know how such core circuits are reorganized during cell fate transitions to allow differentiation and lineage choice to proceed. Here, we asked how the pluripotency circuit, a core transcriptional circuit that maintains mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells in a pluripotent state, is dismantled as ES cells differentiate and choose between the neural ectodermal and mesendodermal progenitor cell fates. When ES cells are recultured from pluripotency maintaining conditions to the basal media N2B27, the expression of the pluripotency circuit genes begins to change. At 48 hours post N2B27 addition, the ES cells are competent to respond to differentiation signals. Here, our microarray analysis compares the gene expression profile of ES cells vs. the gene expression profile of cells that have been treated with N2B27 for 48 hours, reaching the competent state. 2 x mouse ES cells in pluripotency maintaining conditions. 3 x mouse ES cells after 48 hr of N2B27 culture