We tried to investigate roles of Oct3/4 gene during development of normal retina and retinal diseases including tumors. At the first step, we re-investigated Oct3/4 expression in mouse eye. We isolated a novel Oct3/4 variant from normal mouse retina, which is regulated under translational control. Using human retinoblastoma and other carcinoma cell lines, we tested the expression of Oct3/4 transcripts and identified a variety of novel ones. Our results showed the clear different pattern between mice and human Oct3/4 gene variants expression, providing available relevant information for understanding the function of Oct3/4 in somatic tissue.