A) Microarray expression profile of Pcl2 throughout both −LIF and +RA monolayer differentiation of OCT4:eGFP R1 ESCs. B) PCL2 has three predicted isoforms. C) Relative expression of Pcl2 mRNA in control and shRNA knockdown clones. D) Relative expression of Oct4, Nanog, and Sox2 in three different Pcl2 shRNA knockdown clones compared to wild-type R1 and two mismatch controls as determined by qPCR. Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation of triplicate experiments. E&F) OCT4 protein was measured by quantitative immunofluorescence in 10,000 individual cells of three different Pcl2 shRNA knockdown clones over 72 hr in both +LIF and -LIF conditions. In E) the distribution of OCT4 expression is illustrated in a histogram for one representative Pcl2 shRNA knockdown clone and a mismatch control. The distribution is best modeled as a double-Gaussian (red curve) which is a compilation of the OCT4-negative population (green curve) and the OCT4-positive population (blue curve). The vertical red line represents the threshold between OCT4 +ve and −ve populations and the percentage of cells above and below this threshold is reported. In F) the percentage of cells that had lost OCT4 expression at each time point is reported. Error bars represent the standard deviation of triplicate experiments. G&H) Three different Pcl2 shRNA knockdown clones, wild-type R1 and two mismatch controls were plated in +LIF and the distribution of colonies on each plate that were undifferentiated or fully differentiated were determined by morphology and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression. The results are an average of three separate experiments, each performed in triplicate. I) Fluorescent images depict Pcl2 shRNA knockdown and mismatch control cells stained for smooth muscle actin, Nestin, alpha fetoprotein or OCT4 following EB differentiation. Differentiation experiment was performed in duplicate. J) EBs were formed in suspension and cultured for 25 days (left panel). After 25 days they were trypsinized, cultured in +LIF for 3 days and stained for ALP (right panel).

A) Gel filtration chromatography of ESC nuclear proteins indicating that PCL2, EED, EZH2 co-elute in the same fractions. B) Immunoblot analysis demonstrates that EZH2 and SUZ12 protein are detected following IP with a PCL2-specific antibody. In addition, PCL2 protein is present following IP with an EZH2 antibody. C) Coomassie blue stained gel of affinity purified SUZ12 complex. D) Mass spectrometry results showing interaction of PCL2 with Suz12-HF.

A) Volcano plot of differentially expressed genes between Pcl2 shRNA knockdown cells and mismatch control cells cultured in +LIF. Vertical red line represents a fold change of ±1.5. Microarrays were performed in triplicate and the horizontal red line represents a cut-off p-value of 0.05. B & C) GO analysis of genes up-regulated and down-regulated in knockdown cells. D) Location of enriched DNA sequence bound by PCL2 as determined by ChIP-seq. E) Histogram illustrating the distribution of enriched sequences in relation to known TSS. F) GO analysis illustrating the biological function GO terms over-represented amongst the genes that were enriched in the ChIP-seq experiment. Statistically over-represented GO terms were determined by comparing the incidence of a GO term within the input gene list (observed, red bar) to the incidence of that GO term among the entire mouse genome recorded in the MGI database (expected, yellow bar). Fisher’s Exact Test was used to determine a p-value for each term.

A) Identification of one network motif that functions to modulate ESC pluripotency and self-renewal. Genes connected by an arrow were activated by the initiating gene, whereas genes connected by a T-bar were repressed. Activation and repression is supported by promoter occupancy studies or microarray expression changes following knockdown. B) Summary of the categories of developmental genes found to be targeted by the PCL2-PRC2 complex. C) A pool of Dharmacon siRNAs targeting the Pcl2 transcript were used to acutely knock down Pcl2. Cells were re-transfected 48 hours after the first transfection to maintain depletion of Pcl2. Relative expression of Pcl2 as well as a set of potential targets were measured 24 and 72 hours following transfection, in both +LIF and −LIF. D) Pcl2 expression was induced in the rescue clones and transcript levels of the potential targets were measured 72 hours after doxycycline induction. Transcript levels are reported relative to their expression level in wild type ESCs. E) Microarray results from Pcl2 knockdowns and Suz12 and Ezh2 null cells.

A) Two Pcl2 shRNA clones containing the doxycycline inducible Pcl2-IRES-βgeo expression cassette were stained for β-galactosidase expression before and 72 hours after addition of doxycycline to the media. B) By Western analysis, PCL2 protein was increased in the two rescue clones following doxycycline induction. C) By qPCR analysis, Pcl2 transcript was increased following doxycycline induction. D&E) The rescue clones were plated in +LIF or -LIF, with or without doxycycline and the distribution of colonies on each plate that were undifferentiated or fully differentiated were determined by morphology and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression. F) The percentage of cells in the rescue clones that had lost OCT4 expression by 72 hours in both +LIF and −LIF, with or without doxycycline. G) Relative transcript levels of ESC specific, self-renewal genes before and after long term culture of rescue clones in doxycycline. Expression levels are reported as a percentage of expression in wild-type R1 cells.

A) Immunoblot analysis demonstrates levels of OCT4, EZH2 and 3meH3K27 in Pcl2 shRNA knockdown and mismatch control cells. α-tubulin was used as a loading control. B) H3K27 monomethylation levels in control vs. knockdown. C&D) EZH2 (C) and 3me-H3K27 (D) protein was measured in 10,000 individual cells over six days in -LIF conditions. The distributions are best modeled as multi-peak Gaussians (red curve) that is a compilation of the low population (green curve), mid population (blue curve) and high population (yellow curve).

A) Binding profiles of 14 PCL2 and PRC2 targets. Genomic range in each panel extends from -10kb from the TSS to the end of the gene. B-F) ChIP-qPCR validation of 14 selected promoter regions in both wild type and knockdown cells for PCL2, EZH2, EED, SUZ12 and 3meH3K27. Values are calculated as the fold enrichment above a control without antibody. Wild-type vs. knockdown samples were normalized to a fraction of the Input material for each primer set tested to adjust for differences in starting amounts.