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Maintenance of the ES Cell State

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The cells of the blastocyst inner cell mass only remain pluripotent for a short time. This state of pluripotency and self-renewal can be maintained in embryonic stem (ES) cell culture by adding specific chemicals or growth factors to ensure the cells can continue dividing and later differentiate into different cell types. In some cases, the cells are grown on a feeder layer of differentiated cells, which provides the growth factors and extracellular matrix components necessary for stem cell...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 30, 2026

Epigenetic Regulation of Cardiac Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells and Tissues

Epigenetic Regulation of Cardiac Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells and Tissues

Published on: June 3, 2016

Epigenetic control of embryonic stem cell differentiation.

Lyle Armstrong¹

¹Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, The International Centre for Life, Central Parkway, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Lyle.Armstrong@ncl.ac.uk

Stem Cell Reviews and Reports

|August 3, 2011

Summary

Pluripotent stem cells maintain developmental potential through specialized chromatin organization. Studying these cells reveals key molecular mechanisms underlying pluripotency and cell fate.

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Area of Science:

Developmental Biology
Stem Cell Biology
Epigenetics

Background:

Pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs) possess the remarkable ability to differentiate into nearly all somatic cell types.
This developmental plasticity necessitates precise regulation of gene expression.
Maintaining pluripotency relies on a unique, plastic chromatin organization characterized by specific histone modifications.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the molecular basis of pluripotency in ESCs.
To understand the role of chromatin organization and histone modifications in maintaining the undifferentiated state.
To leverage ESCs derived from early embryos to study specialized genome organization.

Main Methods:

Derivation of ESCs from early embryos.
Analysis of chromatin organization patterns.
Investigation of specific histone modifications associated with pluripotency.

Main Results:

ESCs exhibit a highly specialized and plastic chromatin organization.
Specific patterns of histone modifications are crucial for maintaining the poised state of the genome.
This specialized organization is essential for preserving the developmental potential of ESCs.

Conclusions:

The unique chromatin structure and histone modifications in ESCs are fundamental to their pluripotency.
Studying ESCs derived from early embryos provides critical insights into the molecular mechanisms governing pluripotency.
Understanding these mechanisms is key to unlocking the potential of stem cell therapies.