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Updated: Feb 5, 2026
09:51
Establishment of Genome-edited Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines: From Targeting to Isolation
Published on: February 2, 2016
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Genomic integrity of ground-state pluripotency
Narges Jafari1,2, Pascal Giehr3, Mahdi Hesaraki1
1Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
Journal of Cellular Biochemistry
|September 2, 2018
Summary
Ground-state pluripotency conditions enhance repetitive element activity but maintain genomic stability in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Optimal culture conditions are crucial for epigenetically and genomically stable stem cells.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Epigenetics
- Genomics
Background:
- Pluripotent cells are crucial for early development and can differentiate into embryonic stem cells (ESCs).
- The epigenetic patterns of pluripotent cells are sensitive to their culture environment, potentially leading to genomic instability.
- Ground-state pluripotency, maintained in chemically defined media, offers a stable state for ESCs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the DNA methylation patterns and activation levels of repetitive elements (REs) in ESCs under ground-state conditions.
- To assess the genomic integrity of ESCs cultured in different media, focusing on ground-state versus conventional conditions.
- To determine if ground-state conditions impact genomic stability despite potential increases in RE activity.
Main Methods:
- Culturing mouse pluripotent cells in chemically defined media to achieve ground-state pluripotency.
- Measuring DNA methylation levels of repetitive elements (REs).
- Quantifying the expression levels of REs to assess their activity.
- Evaluating the genomic integrity and DNA damage in ESCs under different culture conditions.
Main Results:
- Ground-state culture conditions exhibited higher repetitive element (RE) activity compared to conventional conditions.
- Despite increased RE activity, ground-state conditions did not result in significant DNA damage.
- The level of genomic instability was lower in ESCs cultured under ground-state conditions compared to conventional conditions.
- Epigenetic changes and genomic stability are influenced by the specific culture medium used.
Conclusions:
- Ground-state pluripotency conditions promote RE activity without compromising genomic integrity in ESCs.
- Choosing optimal culture conditions requires careful consideration of factors influencing epigenetic and genomic stability.
- Maintaining epigenetically and genomically stable stem cells is essential for reliable research and therapeutic applications.
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