Anti-Human/Mouse Sox2 Alexa Fluor® 488

Description: The Btjce monoclonal antibody reacts with the transcription factor Sox2, a member of the SOX (sex determining region Y -related HMG (High Mobility Group) Box) family of proteins. Sox family members play a role in early organ development, and in particular, Sox2 is essential for regulating genes that control normal mammalian embryogenesis. Sox2 and family member Sox3 are expressed as early as the preimplantation and epiblast stages respectively. Later expression is restricted to the neuroepithelium. Sox2 has been shown to be necessary for maintaining self-renewal and pluripotency of mouse and human embryonic stem (ES) cells (ESC). Oct4 (POU5F1), Klf4, c-myc, and Sox2 were the original four factors used to reprogram differentiated mouse and human cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC).

Expression of Sox2 is tightly regulated and recent studies have demonstrated that small changes in the levels of Sox2 in ES cells can trigger differentiation into multiple cell types. Sox2 expression is not limited to ES cells, it is also essential for early neurogenesis where its expression becomes restricted to the neural plate, and later to neural stem cells where it functions to suppress neural differentiation. Sox2 in combination with other stem cell markers can be used to characterize stem cell populations. Ectopic expression of Sox2 has been associated with multiple cancer types including colorectal and breast.

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Takahashi K, Tanabe K, Ohnuki M, Narita M, Ichisaka T, Tomoda K, Yamanaka S. Induction of Pluripotent Stem Cells from Adult Human Fibroblasts by Defined Factors. Cell. 2007 131:861–8723.

Takahashi K and Yamanaka S. Induction of Pluripotent Stem Cells from Mouse Embryonic and Adult Fibroblast Cultures by Defined Factors. 2006. Cell 126:663–676.