title: Origins and implications of pluripotent stem cell variability and heterogeneity.
abstract: Pluripotent stem cells constitute a platform to model disease and developmental processes and can potentially be used in regenerative medicine. However, not all pluripotent cell lines are equal in their capacity to differentiate into desired cell types in vitro. Genetic and epigenetic variations contribute to functional variability between cell lines and heterogeneity within clones. These genetic and epigenetic variations could 'lock' the pluripotency network resulting in residual pluripotent cells or alter the signalling response of developmental pathways leading to lineage bias. The molecular contributors to functional variability and heterogeneity in both embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are only beginning to emerge, yet they are crucial to the future of the stem cell field.
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell Transplantation Program, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cahan
authors.forename: George Q
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Daley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*