Embryonic stem cell cardiac differentiation: a proteomic perspective

Introduction Embryonic stem (ES) cells are unspecialized cells isolated from the preimplantation embryo, specifically from the inner cell mass present at the blastocyst stage. ES cells have the unique capacity to proliferate indefinitely in an undifferentiated state; they have not yet specialized into a specific cell lineage and harbor features of pluripotency, with the ability to differentiate into nearly any specialized cell type with the sole exception of trophectoderm, which gives rise to placental tissue. ES cells are thus an ideal cell source for research into developmental processes and into paradigms of cell replacement or replenishment, both in health and disease. An extension of this experimental Embryonic stem cell cardiac differentiation: a proteomic perspective