SNAI1 and SNAI2 Are Asymmetrically Expressed at the 2-Cell Stage and Become Segregated to the TE in the Mouse Blastocyst

Authors

Christine E. Bell, The University of Western Ontario
Andrew J. Watson, The University of Western Ontario

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-31-2009

Journal

PLoS ONE

Volume

4

Issue

12

First Page

8530

Last Page

8530

URL with Digital Object Identifier

http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0008530

Abstract

SNAI1 and SNAI2 are transcription factors that initiate Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal cell transitions throughout development and in cancer metastasis. Here we show novel expression of SNAI1 and SNAI2 throughout mouse preimplantation development revealing asymmetrical localization of both SNAI1 and SNAI2 in individual blastomeres beginning at the 2-cell stage through to the 8-cell stage where SNAI1 and SNAI2 are then only detected in outer cells and not inner cells of the blastocyst. This study implicates SNAI1 and SNAI2 in the lineage segregation of the trophectoderm and inner cell mass, and provides new insight into these oncogenes.