question: What is the role of Tcf3 in the maintenance of pluripotency?
answer: Tcf3 is an integral component of the core regulatory circuitry of ES cells, which includes an autoregulatory loop involving the pluripotency regulators. Tcf3 co-occupies promoters throughout the genome in association with the pluripotency regulators Oct4 and Nanog. Tcf3 down-regulation modulates the lineage differentiation potential of mouse embryonic stem cells through Wnt signaling. Tcf3 down-regulation is a necessary step towards Wnt-mediated suppression of differentiation. Depletion of Tcf3 enables the maintenance of undifferentiated mouse ESCs.