Inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 alleviates Tcf3 repression of the pluripotency network and increases embryonic stem cell resistance to differentiation

Self-renewal of rodent embryonic stem (ES) cells is enhanced by partial inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (Gsk3)1 2. This effect has variously been attributed to stimulation of Wnt signalling via β-catenin1, stabilisation of cMyc3, and global de-inhibition of anabolic processes4. Here we demonstrate that β-catenin is not necessary for ES cell identity or expansion, but its absence eliminates the self-renewal response to Gsk3 inhibition. Responsiveness is fully restored by truncated β-catenin lacking the C-terminal transactivation domain5. However, requirement for Gsk3 inhibition is dictated by expression of Tcf3 and mediated by direct interaction with β-catenin. Tcf3 localises to many pluripotency genes6 in ES cells. Our findings confirm that Tcf3 acts as a transcriptional repressor and reveal that β-catenin directly abrogates Tcf3 function. We conclude that Gsk3 inhibition stabilises the ES cell state primarily by reducing repressive influence on the core pluripotency network.