Pluripotent Stem Cells, Epi

Stem cells are defined by two key properties: pluripotency and self-renewal. Pluripotency refers to the ability of cells to differentiate into a variety of specialized cell types such as nerve cells, cardiac muscle cells, or blood cells. Self-renewal is the capability of undifferentiated cells to divide repeatedly while retaining their undifferentiated condition.

There are three types of pluripotent stem cells, namely, embryonic stem cells (ES), epiblast stem [Page 947]cells (EpiSC), and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS). Induced pluripotent cells are the result of reprogramming of differentiated adult cells into a pluripotent state. ES cells are derived from early-stage embryos (prior to embryo attachment to the uterus), whereas epiblast stem cells are isolated from post-implantation mouse embryos.

Mouse epiblast stem cells are very similar to human embryonic stem ...