Embryonic germ cells (EGC) are cultured pluripotent cells derived from primordial germ cells (PGC). This study explored the possibility of establishing porcine EGC from domestic breeds and Yucatan mini pigs using embryos at Days 17-24 of gestation. In vitro culture of PGC from both pooled and individual embryos resulted in the successful derivation of putative EGC lines from Days 20 to 24 with ...

Freshwater planaria possess extreme regeneration capabilities mediated by abundant, pluripotent stem cells (neoblasts) in adult animals. Although planaria emerged as an attractive in vivo model system for stem cell biology, gene expression in neoblasts has not been profiled comprehensively and it is unknown how molecular mechanisms for pluripotency in neoblasts relate to those in mammalian embr...

SOX2, a universal marker of pluripotent stem cells, is a transcription factor that helps control embryonic development in vertebrates; its expression persists in neural stem/progenitor cells into adulthood. Considering the critical role of the SOX2 transcription factor in the regulation of genes required for self-renewal and pluripotency of stem cells, we developed and characterized SOX2-o...

There are seven linker histone variants in human somatic cells (H1.0 to H1.5, and H1X), their prevalence varying as a function of cell type and differentiation stage, suggesting that the different variants may have distinct roles. We have revisited this notion by using new methodologies to study pluripotency and differentiation, including the in vitro differentiation of human embryonic stem (ES...

Since 1998, when the first human embryonic stem (hES) cell lines were reported (Thomson et al., 1998), a large number of hES cell lines have been derived from the inner cell mass of preimplantation embryos donated at in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics (Guhr et al., 2006). These hES cell lines possess remarkable ability of both unlimited self-renewal and pluripotency to generate any cell type ...

The POU domain transcription factor OCT4 is a key regulator of pluripotency in the early mammalian embryo and is highly expressed in the inner cell mass of the blastocyst. Consistent with its essential role in maintaining pluripotency, Oct4 expression is rapidly downregulated during formation of the trophoblast lineage. To enhance our understanding of the molecular basis of this differentiation...

A core network of genes maintaining pluripotency has been at least partially defined. How the genetic switch is flipped to differentiation is the subject of a new study that reveals some unexpected players.

There’s a new kid on the block of epigenetic marks, and several recent papers indicate that it plays an important role in maintaining the balance between pluripotency and lineage commitment. The new player, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), is an oxidized derivative of the classic DNAmark, 5-methylcytosine (5mC), generated by the TET enzymes. Now, Wu et al. (2011), Ficz et al. (2011), Williams et...

How does cohesin regulate gene expression and development independently of its roles in sister chromatid cohesion and chromosome segregation? Recent studies show that cohesin, through multiple mechanisms, directly controls transcription of genes that regulate morphogenesis, differentiation, cell proliferation and pluripotency.

AU-rich element mRNA-binding proteins (AUBPs) are key regulators of development, but how they are controlled and what functional roles they play depends on cellular context. Here, we show that Brf1 (zfp36l1), an AUBP from the Zfp36 protein family, operates downstream of FGF/Erk MAP kinase signaling to regulate pluripotency and cell fate decision making in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). FGF...