Genes involved in embryonic stem cell pluripotency identified.

2003 OCT 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genes involved in the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells have been identified.

"The molecular mechanism underlying pluripotency is largely unknown," scientists in New York noted.

In their study, N. Sato and coauthors at Rockefeller University determined "the first global transcriptional profile of the state of 'stemness' in human embryonic stem cells (HESCs)."

"We have identified a set of 918 genes enriched in undifferentiated HESCs compared with their differentiated counterparts," they reported. "These include ligand/receptor pairs and secreted inhibitors of the FGF, TGFbeta/ssMP, and Wnt pathways, …