SOX2是参与胚胎干细胞特性维持的核心全能因子，同时也是神经干细胞特性维持的重要调节基因，对神经发育的多个阶段都至关重要。然而，目前关于SOX2的研究多集中于动物模型，而对于SOX2分别在人胚胎干细胞及其分化来的神经祖细胞中的功能及其调控机制尚不清楚。我们前期研究发现SOX2在这两种细胞中具有不同的功能。本项目旨在深入研究SOX2在两种细胞特性维持中的功能，并通过蛋白质谱、ChIP-seq、基因芯片等方法发现SOX2在这两种细胞中的相互作用蛋白组，结合基因和对转录组表达的影响，用生物信息学手段整合比较分析SOX2的细胞特异性相互作用蛋白以及调控网络。通过这一差异比较研究，我们有望揭示SOX2既维持干细胞特性又参与神经谱系分化的分子机制，加深我们对人早期神经发育过程的理解，从而更好地指导人胚胎干细胞或iPSC神经分化和临床应用。

SOX2 is a master regulator of both pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and multipotent neural progenitor cells (NPCs). Despite the extensive studies on animal models, the function of SOX2 in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs ) and hESC-derived NPCs is largely unknown, and neither is a detailed understanding of how SOX2 controls these distinct cell populations. Our preliminary work discovered distinct functions of SOX2 in these two types of cells. In this project, we plan to carry out detailed functional study coupled with ChIP-seq，proteomic and transcriptome analysis of SOX2 for a comprehensive understanding of cell-type-specific SOX2 associated proteins as well as the respective regulatory networks of SOX2 in hESCs and NPCs. Such comparative analysis will help to reveal the underlying mechanism of SOX2's dynamic role in stem cell maintenance as well as neural differentiation and provide novel molecular insights into how human early neural development is dynamically regulated. The study also lays the ground work for hESC or iPSC neural differentiation and clinical application.