title: Chipping away at the embryonic stem cell network.
abstract: Critical transcription factors, notably OCT4, SOX2, and NANOG, are necessary to maintain self-renewal and pluripotency, two properties characteristic of embryonic stem (ES) cells. By analyzing the genome-wide localization of these factors at promoter regions in human ES cells, Boyer et al. (2005) demonstrate frequent promoter co-occupancy at numerous target genes. As they discuss in this issue of Cell, their findings indicate the presence of a complex network of autoregulatory and feedforward loops in human ES cells.
authors.affiliation: Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Stuart H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Orkin
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D017690:Cell Transplantation / Q000502:physiology; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology*; D005809:Genes, Regulator / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D024002:HMGB Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D000071317:Nanog Homeobox Protein; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3 / Q000378:metabolism; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D024002:HMGB Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C486780:NANOG protein, human; D000071317:Nanog Homeobox Protein; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; C494173:POU5F1 protein, human; C527782:SOX2 protein, human; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors