Embryonic stem (ES) cells can form tissues from all three primary germ layers (ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm) of the embryo. Embryonic stem cells (ES cells or ESCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an early-stage pre-implantation embryo. The most well-known type of pluripotent stem cell is the embryonic stem cell. Because they can propagate indefinitely, as well as give rise to every other cell type in the body (such as neurons, heart, pancreatic, and liver cells), they represent a single source of cells that could be used to replace those lost to damage or disease. Pluripotent stem cells hold promise in the field of regenerative medicine. The iPSC technology was pioneered by Shinya Yamanaka's lab in Kyoto, Japan, who showed in 2006 that the introduction of four specific genes encoding transcription factors could convert adult cells into pluripotent stem cells. This reprogramming can be achieved using a number of techniques with varying efficiencies. Induced pluripotent cells (iPS) are somatic cells that have been reprogrammed artificially and turn on the expression of specific pluripotency genes. Induced pluripotent stem cells (also known as iPS cells or iPSCs) are a type of pluripotent stem cell that can be generated directly from adult cells.
Pluripotent Stem Cell Transcription Factors Introduction of iPS Cells and ES Cells
