Biophysical interactions of NANOG

Embryonic stem cells arise during early embryo development and can turn into any cell type in the mammalian body. They can also self-renew, i.e., they can replicate without turning into a different cell type.

These properties make embryonic stem cells useful models for studying development, disease, tissue repair and regeneration.

A fundamental challenge is to understand how embryonic stem cells decide between self-renewing or turning into a different cell type. This project aims to figure out one piece of the puzzle.

We study a protein called NANOG which directly controls self-renewal efficiency by controlling which genes are turned on and which genes are turned off by regulating gene transcription.

There is a particular part of the NANOG protein, named the tryptophan repeat, that is critically important for NANOG function but whose role is not fully understood.

We will investigate how the tryptophan repeat affects the biophysical properties of NANOG, as this may be important for its role in controlling gene transcription.

We aim to understand how the tryptophan repeat affects NANOG function, thereby providing insight into the mechanism by which NANOG controls gene transcription. This work will act as stepping stone in understanding how embryonic stem cells decide their fate.