title: Three, two, one… TROPHO-BLAST OFF!
abstract: Trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) are derived from the early mouse embryo and can substantially contribute to placental development. Two studies by Kubaczka et al. (2015) and Benchetrit et al. (2015) in this issue of Cell Stem Cell now report reprogramming mouse fibroblasts into TSCs, surmounting the first lineage barrier established in development and providing new tools for researching placental specification and diseases.
authors.affiliation: Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parenti
authors.affiliation: Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. Electronic address: aralston@msu.edu.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ralston
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D013234:Stem Cells; D014327:Trophoblasts