NANOG Homeobox Protein (NANOG)

NANOG is a transcription factor critically involved with self-renewal of undifferentiated embryonic stem cells. Human NANOG protein is a 305 amino acid protein with a conserved homeodomain motif that is localized to the nuclear component of cells. The homeodomain region facilitates DNA binding. There are N-terminal, homeodomain, and C-terminal regions in human NANOG protein. Like murine NANOG, N-terminal region of human NANOG is rich in Ser, Thr and Pro residues and C-terminus contains W repeats. The homeodomain in hNANOG ranges from residues 95 to 155. NANOG is a gene expressed in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and is thought to be a key factor in maintaining pluripotency. NANOG is thought to function in concert with other factors such as POU5F1 and SOX2 to establish ESC identity.