CoraLite®594-conjugated SOX2 Polyclonal antibody

Background

SRY (sex determining region Y)-box 2 is a transcription factor involved in neural stem cell maintenance and has been used in somatic cell reprogramming.

 What is the molecular weight of Sox2?

34 kDa. Sox2 is an intronless gene encoding xx amino acids including HMG (High-mobility group) box domains that can bind to DNA.

 What is the tissue specificity of Sox2?

In embryonic stem cells, Sox2 is highly expressed and is essential in self-renewal. In the developing embryo, Sox2 is found in the neural tube and then in the developing eye and central nervous system (CNS). This expression is highly conserved across organisms (PMID: 25126380; PMID: 8625802).

In adult tissues Sox2 is expressed in neural progenitor cells, which as multipotent cells can both self-renew and differentiate into neurons, astroglia, and oligodendroglia. It maintains their stem cell phenotype and is a useful marker of early neural stem cells (PMID: 16139372).

 What is the role of Sox2 in pluripotency?

Sox2 acts as part of the LIF (Leukemia inhibitory factor) pathway, activated via JAK-STAT signaling to form complexes with other transcription factors such as Oct4 that bind to DNA and work to control pluripotency. Sox2 was described as one of the four original factors that are key to the reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) (PMID: 16904174).

 What is the role of Sox2 in cancer?

The ability to control pluripotency means dysregulation of Sox2 can lead to uncontrolled proliferation. In many different cancers, Sox2 has been associated with the metastasis and growth of tumors, mostly due to overexpression (PMID: 28388544). The increased levels of Sox2 RNA and protein in tumor tissue highlight it as a potential therapeutic target (PMID: 25114775).