ERK2 deficiency results in increased expression of pluripotency markers and self-renewal capacity.

<p>(A) Gene expression analysis for pluripotency markers in two independent <i>Erk2</i>^−/− ES cell clones, D7N2 and D2N4, and transgenic rescued subclones for each line, D7WT and D2WT. Error bars represent the standard deviation from the mean of 2 independent experiments. (B) Flow cytometry analysis of Nanog-GFP promoter activity of <i>Erk2</i>-null ES cells, and rescued subclones shows a shift towards lower Nanog-GFP expression in <i>Erk2</i>-rescued clones. (C) Clonal analysis in +LIF conditions showing enhanced self-renewal capacity of <i>Erk2</i>-null ES cells. Error bars represent the standard deviation from the mean of biological replicates.