Chromatin, the template for epigenetic regulation, is a highly dynamic entity that is constantly
reshaped during early development and differentiation. Epigenetic modification of chromatin …

Human germ cell tumours (GCTs) are derived from stem cells of the early embryo and the
germ line. They occur in the gonads (ovaries and testes) and also in extragonadal sites …

The molecular mechanisms and signalling pathways that regulate the in vitro preservation of
distinct pluripotent stem cell configurations, and their induction in somatic cells by direct …

Primordial germ cells (PGCs), the precursors of sperm and eggs, are established in
perigastrulation-stage embryos in mammals. Signals from extra-embryonic tissues induce a …

Stem cells self-renew and generate specialized progeny through differentiation, but vary in
the range of cells and tissues they generate, a property called developmental potency …

BACKGROUND A defining feature of sexual reproduction is the transmission of genomic
information from both parents to the offspring. There is now compelling evidence that the …

Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells perpetuate in vitro the broad developmental potential of
naïve founder cells in the preimplantation embryo. ES cells self-renew relentlessly in culture …

Naive pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and embryonic germ cells (EGCs) are
derived from the preimplantation epiblast and primordial germ cells (PGCs), respectively …

The generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from somatic cells demonstrated
that adult mammalian cells can be reprogrammed to a pluripotent state by the enforced …

Embryonic stem (ES) cells undergo extended proliferation while remaining poised for
multilineage differentiation. A unique network of transcription factors may characterize self …