Oct4A is a core component of the regulatory network of pluripotent cells, and by itself can reprogram neural stem cells into pluripotent cells in mice and humans. However, its role in defining totipotency and inducing pluripotency during embryonic development is still unclear. We genetically eliminated maternal Oct4A using a Cre/loxP approach in mouse and found that the establishment of totipotency was not affected, as shown by the generation of live pups. After complete inactivation of both maternal and zygotic Oct4A expression, the embryos still formed Oct4-GFP- and Nanog-expressing inner cell masses, albeit non-pluripotent, indicating that Oct4A is not a determinant for the pluripotent cell lineage separation. Interestingly, Oct4A-deficient oocytes were able to reprogram fibroblasts into pluripotent cells. Our results clearly demonstrate that, in contrast to its role in the maintenance of pluripotency, maternal Oct4A is not crucial for either the establishment of totipotency in embryos, or the induction of pluripotency in somatic cells using oocytes.

中文翻译：

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全能性的建立不依赖于 Oct4A。

Oct4A 是多能细胞调节网络的核心组成部分，它本身可以将神经干细胞重新编程为小鼠和人类的多能细胞。然而，其在胚胎发育过程中定义全能性和诱导多能性的作用仍不清楚。我们在小鼠中使用 Cre/loxP 方法从基因上消除了母体 Oct4A，发现全能性的建立不受影响，如活幼崽的产生所示。在母体和合子 Oct4A 表达完全失活后，胚胎仍形成表达 Oct4-GFP 和 Nanog 的内细胞团，尽管是非多能的，表明 Oct4A 不是多能细胞谱系分离的决定因素。有趣的是，Oct4A 缺陷的卵母细胞能够将成纤维细胞重新编程为多能细胞。我们的结果清楚地表明，