CRB2 fine-tunes F-actin architecture to expand potential in mouse embryonic stem cells

CRB2 fine-tunes F-actin architecture to expand potential in mouse embryonic stem cells | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article CRB2 fine-tunes F-actin architecture to expand potential in mouse embryonic stem cells Mingze Yao, Lei Zhang, Wenhao Zhang, Fengfeng Zhang, Tinglin Ren, and 18 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8625263/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Polarity proteins are involved in establishing the intracellular spatial order to define cellular identity and mediate its plasticity in development, repair, and migration. However, its precise role in pluripotency transition and totipotency remains understood. Here, we showed that Crumbs homologue 2 (CRB2), a typical member of CRUMBS protein family orchestrates cell potential extension in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). CRB2 deficiency impairs formation of embryoid bodies and naive to primed transition (NPT) in mESCs. Mechanistically, CRB2 regulates the formation of F-actin branches by modulating the activity of Arp2/3 complex. Furthermore, overexpression of CRB2 confers totipotency on mESCs, enabling the generation of extra-embryonic lineages and the autonomous self-organization of blastoids. Together, these findings demonstrate that a previously unknown role of the polarity protein CRB2 to orchestrate cell fate transition and totipotency in mouse embryonic stem cells by fine-tuning F-actin structure. Biological sciences/Developmental biology/Stem cells Biological sciences/Cell biology Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8625263","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":593105740,"identity":"9981bb76-b41a-4cbc-9127-12482f8383ec","order_by":0,"name":"Mingze 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