DPPA-2 (developmental pluripotency associated-2) is a novel Oct-4-related protein that is localized to the nucleus of mouse fetal germ cells. DPPA-2 has binding sites for both POU and Sox-2 protein domains and is expressed primarily in the developing germ line following gastrulation. These associations suggest that this protein participates in a very strong supportive role in maintaining cell pluripotentiality. In addition to its role as a pluripotency marker, more recent research using cancer cells suggests that DPPA-2 may also act as an embryo-cancer antigen