Does transcription factor induced pluripotency accurately mimic embryo derived pluripotency?
When Takahashi and Yamanaka first demonstrated that just four transcription factors could reprogram a fibroblast to a pluripotent state, the first wave of data to emerge focused on how similar these induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were to embryo-derived pluripotent stem cells (ESCs) [1]. The next wave of data focused on determining the degree of difference between iPSCs and ESCs [2]. Now the focus is on tweaking the process to generate iPSCs that are more similar to ESCs [3,4]. Because transcription factor based reprogramming allows for nearly any type of cell to be created from any donor cell, there is obviously enormous interest in this technique as a tool for both basic developmental biology and for clinical applications. In this review, I will attempt to summarize the data that serve to distinguish these types of pluripotent stem cells and speculate on the ramifications of any differences.
Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States. blowry@ucla.edu
William E
WE
Lowry
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D065150:Cellular Reprogramming; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D014157:Transcription Factors