Nanog Homeobox (NANOG)

Nanog homeobox (NANOG) is a transcription factor that plays a central role in maintaining the pluripotency and self-renewal of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). It achieves this by suppressing genes involved in cell differentiation, thereby keeping ESCs in an undifferentiated state. NANOG is considered one of the core nuclear transcription factors—alongside OCT4 and SOX2—that regulate pluripotency in ESCs. It is highly expressed in inner cell mass cells during early embryogenesis but downregulated upon differentiation. In addition to normal development roles, aberrant or sustained expression has been linked to several types of cancer due to its ability to promote proliferation/self-renewal beyond normal developmental contexts.

NANOG binds DNA via its homeodomain to regulate gene expression directly related to maintaining the undifferentiated state.