TGF-β-superfamily signaling regulates embryonic stem cell heterogeneity: self-renewal as a dynamic and regulated equilibrium.

ABSTRACT: Embryonic stem cells dynamically fluctuate between phenotypic states, as defined by expression levels of genes such as Nanog, while remaining pluripotent. The dynamic phenotype of stem cells is in part determined by gene expression control and dictated by various signaling pathways and transcriptional regulators. We sought to define the activities of two TGF-β-related signaling pathways, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and Nodal signaling, in modulating mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell heterogeneity in undifferentiated culture conditions. Both BMP and Nodal signaling pathways were seen to be active in distinct Nanog subpopulations, with subtle quantitative differences in activity. Pharmacological and genetic modulation of BMP or Nodal signaling strongly influenced the heterogeneous state of

SUBMITTER: Galvin-Burgess KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3528825 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature