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Pluripotency maintenance mechanism of embryonic stem cells and reprogramming

  • Progress in Hematology
  • ES and iPS cells, attractive stem cells for regenerative medicine
  • Published:
International Journal of Hematology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are derived from blastocysts and are pluripotent. This pluripotency has attracted the interest of numerous researchers, both to expand our fundamental understanding of developmental biology and also because of potential applications in regenerative medicine. Systems biological studies have demonstrated that the pivotal transcription factors form a network. There they activate pluripotency-associated genes, including themselves, while repressing the developmentally regulated genes through co-occupation with various protein complexes. The chromatin structure characteristic of ES cells also contributes to the maintenance of the network. In this review, I focus on recent advances in our understanding of the transcriptional network that maintains pluripotency in mouse ES cells.

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Acknowledgments

I thank Dr. Mitsuhiro Endoh for his helpful suggestions. This work was supported in part by the PRESTO program of the Japan Science and Technology Agency and by the Program for Promotion of Fundamental Studies in Health Sciences of the National Institute of Biomedical Innovation. This work is also supported in part by the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific research from the Ministry of Health, Labor, Welfare of Japan, and by that of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.

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  1. Division of Molecular Biology and Cell Engineering, Department of Regenerative Medicine, Research Institute, International Medical Center of Japan, 1-21-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan

    Shinji Masui

  2. PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Saitama, Japan

    Shinji Masui

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  1. Shinji Masui
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Correspondence to Shinji Masui.

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Masui, S. Pluripotency maintenance mechanism of embryonic stem cells and reprogramming. Int J Hematol 91, 360–372 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12185-010-0517-9

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