Loss of Pten causes tumor initiation following differentiation of murine pluripotent stem cells due to failed repression of Nanog.

ABSTRACT: Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) hold significant promise in regenerative medicine due to their unlimited capacity for self-renewal and potential to differentiate into every cell type in the body. One major barrier to the use of PSCs is their potential risk for tumor initiation following differentiation and transplantation in vivo. In the current study we sought to evaluate the role of the tumor suppressor Pten in murine PSC neoplastic progression. Using eight functional assays that have previously been used to indicate PSC adaptation or transformation, Pten null embryonic stem cells (ESCs) failed to rate as significant in five of them. Instead, our data demonstrate that the loss of Pten causes the emergence of a small number of aggressive, teratoma-initiating embryonic carcinoma cells (ECCs)

SUBMITTER: Lindgren AG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3029365 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature