During mammalian embryogenesis, the early embryo grows in a relatively hypoxic
environment due to a restricted supply of oxygen. The molecular mechanisms underlying
modulation of self-renewal and differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs)
under such hypoxic conditions remain to be established. Here, we show that hypoxia inhibits
mESC self-renewal and induces early differentiation in vitro, even in the presence of
leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). These effects are mediated by down-regulation of the LIF …