Free Shipping in the U.S. for orders over $1000. Shop Now>>
The homeobox protein Nanog is a transcription factor crucial for maintaining the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) by inhibiting cell differentiation factors. In humans, the NANOG gene encodes this protein. Nanog operates alongside other factors such as Oct-4 and SOX2 to define ESC identity. It is also highly expressed in cancer stem cells, suggesting a potential role as an oncogene in promoting cancer development. Elevated levels of Nanog are linked to poor prognosis in cancer patients.
Nanog shows strong and specific expression in carcinoma in situ (CIS), embryonal carcinomas, and seminomas but are absent in teratomas and yolk sac tumors. Research indicates that human embryonic stem cell-related genes, including OCT4, NANOG, STELLAR, and GDF3, are expressed in seminomas and breast carcinomas. Nanog positivity is notably associated with high-grade ovarian serous carcinoma but is not observed in benign, borderline, or low-grade serous lesions. One study highlights the cellular shuttling of Nanog and its increased stromal presence during cervical cancer progression. Furthermore, Nanog overexpression has been linked to factors such as tumor differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and tumor size, with studies suggesting its predictive value for reduced overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in lung cancer.
There are no reviews yet.