title: Signaling networks in human pluripotent stem cells.
abstract: Maintaining a finely-balanced network of signaling inputs is critical for the maintenance of pluripotent stem cells. Together, signaling pathways achieve this by maintaining a long-term, proliferative state while suppressing differentiation. Although the major pathways involved in pluripotency have been known for some time, it was not previously clear how they function in concert to maintain stem cell identity. Recent work has identified a signaling network involving cross-talk between PI3K, TGFβ, MAPK and Wnt pathways that culminate in a finely-balanced molecular switch that determines the fate of pluripotent cells.
authors.affiliation: Paul D. Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Science, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, 500 DW Brooks Drive, Athens, GA 30602, United States. sdalton@uga.edu
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dalton
mesh_terms: D028341:Activins / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051785:Smad Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D051785:Smad Proteins; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D028341:Activins; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt