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Quality control towards the application of induced pluripotent stem cells
1Department of Genetics and Yale Stem Cell Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
Current Opinion in Genetics & Development
|August 22, 2017
Summary
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) show promise for regenerative medicine but have variable developmental potential. Epigenetic variations, like histone H2A.X deposition, may explain these differences, necessitating quality control assays.
Area of Science:
- Stem cell biology
- Regenerative medicine
- Epigenetics
Background:
- Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology is advancing regenerative medicine.
- Despite similarities to embryonic stem cells (ESCs), iPSCs exhibit significant clone-to-clone variability.
- This variability impacts their developmental potential and clinical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the molecular variations observed in iPSCs.
- To discuss the role of epigenetic modifications, specifically histone variant H2A.X deposition, in iPSC variability.
- To highlight the need for robust quality control assays for iPSC assessment.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of current iPSC research.
- Analysis of molecular and epigenetic properties of iPSCs.
- Discussion of developmental potential assays.
Main Results:
- iPSCs display inherent molecular and functional heterogeneity.
- Epigenetic factors, including histone variant H2A.X, are implicated in iPSC developmental potential differences.
- Current iPSC generation methods result in variable quality.
Conclusions:
- Understanding iPSC molecular variations is crucial for quality control.
- Epigenetic profiling may offer insights into iPSC developmental capacity.
- Development of reliable quality control assays is essential for the clinical translation of iPSC technology.
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