Eomesodermin in conjunction with the BAF complex promotes expansion and invasion of the trophectoderm lineage

Alexandra Maria Bisia, Maria-Eleni Xypolita, Elizabeth K. Bikoff, Elizabeth J. Robertson () and Ita Costello
Additional contact information
Alexandra Maria Bisia: University of Oxford
Maria-Eleni Xypolita: University of Oxford
Elizabeth K. Bikoff: University of Oxford
Elizabeth J. Robertson: University of Oxford
Ita Costello: University of Oxford

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract The T-box transcription factor (TF) Eomesodermin/Tbr2 (Eomes) is essential for maintenance of the trophectoderm (TE) lineage, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this critical role remain obscure. Here, we show in trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) that Eomes partners with several TE-specific TFs as well as chromatin remodellers, including Brg1 and other subunits of the BAF complex. Degron-mediated Eomes protein depletion results in genome-wide loss of chromatin accessibility at TSC-specific loci. These overlap with a subset of sites that lose accessibility following Brg1 inhibition, suggesting that Eomes acts as a “doorstop” controlling TSC chromatin accessibility. Eomes depletion also causes transcriptional misregulation of TSC maintenance and early differentiation markers. An additional subset of Eomes-dependent genes encode intercellular/matricellular interaction and cytoskeletal components, likely explaining the implantation defects of Eomes-null embryos. Thus, Eomes promotes TE lineage maintenance by sustaining trophectoderm-specific chromatin accessibility, while promoting the gene regulatory networks that modulate expansion and cell behaviour during implantation.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60417-w Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-60417-w

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60417-w

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().