Mouse ES cell culture system as a model of development.
Mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells are pluripotent stem cells derived from pre-implantation embryos. They are regarded as an essential tool for studying mouse development, as they provide a means for generating knock-out mouse lines. This, however, is not the sole utility of the mES cell system. They undergo differentiation in culture, mimicking the morphological differentiation of peri-implantation embryos from epiblast to egg-cylinder stage. Moreover, they retain the capacity to respond to triggers of differentiation toward trophectoderm and primitive endoderm by forced activation. For these reasons, mES cells can be regarded as a useful tool for analyzing molecular mechanisms underlying early mouse development.
Niwa
Hitoshi
H
Laboratory for Pluripotent Cell Studies, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB), Kobe, Hyogo, Japan. niwa@cdb.riken.jp
D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004475:Ectoderm / Q000196:embryology; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D004707:Endoderm / Q000196:embryology; D018390:Gene Targeting; D005855:Germ Layers / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000166:cytology