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Updated: Oct 29, 2025
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Reprogramming Human Somatic Cells into Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells iPSCs Using Retroviral Vector with GFP
Published on: April 3, 2012
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Elevated retrotransposon activity and genomic instability in primed pluripotent stem cells
Haifeng Fu1,2, Weiyu Zhang1,3, Niannian Li1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.
Genome Biology
|July 10, 2021
Summary
Primed pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) show fragile telomeres and genomic instability, unlike naïve PSCs. These factors contribute to their reduced developmental potency, offering insights into stem cell biology.
Area of Science:
- Stem Cell Biology
- Genomics
- Epigenetics
Background:
- Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) exist in distinct states: naïve and primed.
- Primed PSCs exhibit diminished developmental potency compared to naïve PSCs, failing germline chimera assays.
- Molecular underpinnings of primed PSC developmental limitations are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate telomere maintenance, retrotransposon activity, and genomic stability in primed PSCs.
- Compare these molecular features between primed and naïve PSCs.
- Elucidate mechanisms behind reduced developmental competency in primed PSCs.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of telomere length and maintenance.
- Assessment of DNA recombination and repair activity.
- Identification and transcriptional analysis of specific retrotransposons (LINE1, ERVK).
- Evaluation of epigenetic regulation (heterochromatic histones, Dnmt3b).
- Analysis of genomic stability and retrotransposon activity.
Main Results:
- Primed PSCs display minimal telomere maintenance and fragile telomeres, contrasting with robust telomere elongation in naïve PSCs.
- Naïve PSCs show specific LINE1 retrotransposon activity (L1Md_T), while primed PSCs are characterized by ERVK integrants (IAPEz).
- Increased genomic instability in primed PSCs correlates with aberrant retrotransposon activity.
- Declined DNA recombination and repair activity observed in primed PSCs.
Conclusions:
- Fragile telomeres and retrotransposon-driven genomic instability contribute to compromised developmental potency in primed PSCs.
- Reduced DNA repair, impaired cell cycle/mitochondrial function, increased apoptosis, and altered differentiation properties further distinguish primed from naïve PSCs.
- These molecular deficits collectively explain the lower developmental competency of primed pluripotent stem cells.
Keywords:
2C genesGenome stabilityHistone modificationsNaïve and primed pluripotent stateRetrotransposonsTelomeresMore Related Videos
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