S08-11 Regulation of neural tube closure by cell adhesion molecules

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are established from the inner cell mass of a preimplantation embryo, are capable of self-renewal, and exhibit pluripotency. Given these unique properties, ESCs are expected to have therapeutic potential in regenerative medicine and as a powerful tool for invitro differentiation studies of stem cells. Various growth factors and extracellular matrix components regulate the pluripotency and differentiation of ESC progenies. Thus, the cell surface receptors that bind these regulatory factors are crucial for the precise regulation of stem cells. To identify membrane proteins that are involved in the regulation of pluripotent stem cells, the membrane proteins of mouse ESCs cultured with or without leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) were purified and analyzed by quantitative proteomics. 2D-PAGE-based analysis using fluorescently labeled proteins and shotgun-based analysis with isotope-labeled peptides identified 338 proteins, including transmembrane, membrane-binding, and extracellular proteins, which were expressed specifically in pluripotent or differentiated mouse ESCs. Functions of the identified proteins revealed cell adhesion molecules, channels, and receptors, which are expected to play important roles in the maintenance of mouse ESC pluripotency. Membrane proteins that are expressed in pluripotent ESCs but not in differentiated cells such as Slc16a1 and Bsg could be useful for the selection of the stem cells invitro.