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Related Concept Videos

Embryonic Stem Cells00:57

Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells were first discovered in mice in 1981 by Martin Evans. In 1998, James Thomson identified a method to isolate embryonic stem cells from humans. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are obtained from 3-5 day old embryos that remain unused after an in vitro fertilization procedure.
ES cells are grown in a culture medium where they can divide indefinitely, creating ES cell lines. Under certain conditions, ES cells can differentiate, either spontaneously into a variety of...
Embryonic Stem Cells00:58

Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are undifferentiated pluripotent cells, meaning they can produce any cell type in the body. This gives them tremendous potential in science and medicine since they can generate specific cell types for use in research or to replace body cells lost due to damage or disease.
Maintenance of the ES Cell State01:14

Maintenance of the ES Cell State

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...
Cellular Differentiation00:57

Cellular Differentiation

How does a complex organism such as a human develop from a single cell? It all starts from a single fertilized egg which gives rise to a vast array of cell types, such as nerve cells, muscle cells, and epithelial cells that characterize the adult? Throughout development and adulthood, cellular differentiation leads cells to assume their final morphology and physiology. Differentiation is the process by which unspecialized cells become specialized to carry out distinct functions.
A zygote is a...
Cell Specific Gene Expression01:58

Cell Specific Gene Expression

Multicellular organisms contain a variety of structurally and functionally distinct cell types, but the DNA in all the cells originated from the same parent cells. The differences in the cells can be attributed to the differential gene expression. Liver cells, whose functions include detoxification of blood, production of bile to metabolize fats, and synthesis of proteins essential for metabolism, must express a specific set of genes to perform their functions. Gene expression also varies with...
Source And Potency Of Stem Cells01:27

Source And Potency Of Stem Cells

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells with extensive self-renewal properties that help them maintain their population during the fetal and adult stages of life. They can specialize in all cell types of the human body. However, their differential potential may vary and can be classified into five types. Stem cells can be (1) Totipotent, (2) Pluripotent, (3) Multipotent, (4) Oligopotent, and (5) Unipotent. Each stem cell has a specific origin; the fertilized egg or zygote is a totipotent cell and...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

Profiling Individual Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Quantitative RT-PCR
09:03

Profiling Individual Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Quantitative RT-PCR

Published on: May 29, 2014

Gene expression heterogeneities in embryonic stem cell populations: origin and function.

Alfonso Martinez Arias1, Joshua M Brickman

  • 1Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK. ama11@hermes.cam.ac.uk

Current Opinion in Cell Biology
|October 11, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Defining stem cell markers is challenging. This study explores if inherent heterogeneity within Embryonic Stem (ES) cell populations is essential for their pluripotency and self-renewal capabilities.

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Oct4GiP Reporter Assay to Study Genes that Regulate Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Maintenance and Self-renewal
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Oct4GiP Reporter Assay to Study Genes that Regulate Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Maintenance and Self-renewal

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A Combinatorial Single-cell Approach to Characterize the Molecular and Immunophenotypic Heterogeneity of Human Stem and Progenitor Populations
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A Combinatorial Single-cell Approach to Characterize the Molecular and Immunophenotypic Heterogeneity of Human Stem and Progenitor Populations

Published on: October 25, 2018

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Last Updated: May 28, 2026

Profiling Individual Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Quantitative RT-PCR
09:03

Profiling Individual Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Quantitative RT-PCR

Published on: May 29, 2014

Oct4GiP Reporter Assay to Study Genes that Regulate Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Maintenance and Self-renewal
08:01

Oct4GiP Reporter Assay to Study Genes that Regulate Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Maintenance and Self-renewal

Published on: May 30, 2012

A Combinatorial Single-cell Approach to Characterize the Molecular and Immunophenotypic Heterogeneity of Human Stem and Progenitor Populations
09:34

A Combinatorial Single-cell Approach to Characterize the Molecular and Immunophenotypic Heterogeneity of Human Stem and Progenitor Populations

Published on: October 25, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Stem cell biology

Background:

  • Stem and progenitor cells possess lineage-populating and self-renewal capacities.
  • Defining specific stem cell markers has proven difficult.
  • Embryonic Stem (ES) cells are pluripotent and self-renewing in vitro.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if limited success in defining stem cell markers is due to inherent population heterogeneity.
  • To examine the role of heterogeneity in ES cell potency and self-renewal.

Main Methods:

  • Focus on Embryonic Stem (ES) cells.
  • Analysis of recently reported heterogeneities in ES cells.

Main Results:

  • Heterogeneity may be a fundamental aspect of stem cell populations.
  • ES cell heterogeneity is relevant to their functional potency and self-renewal.

Conclusions:

  • Inherent heterogeneity might explain challenges in identifying universal stem cell markers.
  • Understanding ES cell heterogeneity is crucial for comprehending pluripotency and self-renewal mechanisms.