%0 Journal Article
%T Pluripotency and its layers of complexity
%A Jolene Ooi
%A Pentao Liu
%J Cell Regeneration
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/2045-9769-1-7
%X Pluripotency is denoted by the capacity of a self-renewing cell to develop into the three germ layers. The conception of pluripotency emerged in the Classical Greek period where rudimentary methods were employed to examine the development of organs within chick embryos [1]. These observations were left unexplored for two thousand years and awareness was rekindled in the Renaissance period where the invention of the microscope enhanced the resolution of developing embryos. This elicited the establishment of several landmark discoveries and escalated our understanding of vertebrate developmental processes.The first testimony of pluripotency on a petri dish was portrayed using inbred strains of mice. Spontaneous incidences of teratocarinomas arose at low frequencies in 129 strain of mice [2]. This led to the isolation of pluripotent stem cells that were able to regenerate tumours consisting of the three germ layers [3]. Subsets of pluripotent cell populations came in quick succession, where various cell types within the mouse embryo were isolated and snapshots of distinct developmental stages were captured [4-9]. Other than naturally occurring instances in normal development, artificial states that are reflective of pluripotency have been accomplished. Cells from developing Rana pipiens embryos were demonstrated to undergo nuclear transplantation and revert to a primitive state capable of developing into an entire organism [10]. This highlighted the capacity of a non-pluripotent cell to reset its epigenetic marks and convert to a pluripotent derivative. Termed as nuclear reprogramming, these findings were extended in mice and further exemplified in alternative methods [11-14].The easy manipulation and cultivation of mouse pluripotent stem cells have provided a convenient platform to study the independent developmental stages. Furthermore, comparison of these pluripotent states and their necessary environmental milieu for sustenance provides indications of developmental
%K Na£żve pluripotency
%K Primed pluripotency
%K Embryonic stem cells
%K Induced pluripotent stem cells
%K Epiblast stem cells
%U http://www.cellregenerationjournal.com/content/1/1/7