Department of Reproductive Medicine and Gynaecology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Hum Reprod Update. 2011 Mar-Apr;17(2):254-71. doi: 10.1093/humupd/dmq035. Epub 2010 Aug 12.
Pluripotent stem cells have been derived from a variety of sources such as from the inner cell mass of preimplantation embryos, from primordial germ cells, from teratocarcinomas and from male germ cells. The recent development of induced pluripotent stem cells demonstrates that somatic cells can be reprogrammed to a pluripotent state in vitro.
This review summarizes our current understanding of the origins of mouse and human pluripotent cells. We pay specific attention to transcriptional and epigenetic regulation in pluripotent cells and germ cells. Furthermore, we discuss developmental aspects in the germline that seem to be of importance for the transition of germ cells towards pluripotency. This review is based on literature from the Pubmed database, using Boolean search statements with relevant keywords on the subject.
There are distinct molecular mechanisms involved in the generation and maintenance of the various pluripotent cell types. Furthermore, there are important similarities and differences between the different categories of pluripotent cells in terms of phenotype and epigenetic modifications. Pluripotent cell lines from various origins differ in growth characteristics, developmental potential, transcriptional activity and epigenetic regulation. Upon derivation, pluripotent stem cells generally acquire new properties, but they often also retain a 'footprint' of their tissue of origin.
In order to further our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying self-renewal and pluripotency, a thorough comparison between different pluripotent stem cell types is required. This will progress the use of stem cells in basic biology, drug discovery and future clinical applications.
多能干细胞已从多种来源中得到，如植入前胚胎的内细胞团、原始生殖细胞、畸胎瘤和雄性生殖细胞。最近诱导多能干细胞的发展表明，体细胞可以在体外被重编程为多能状态。
本综述总结了我们目前对小鼠和人类多能细胞起源的理解。我们特别关注多能细胞和生殖细胞中的转录和表观遗传调控。此外，我们还讨论了生殖系中似乎对生殖细胞向多能性转变很重要的发育方面。本综述基于 Pubmed 数据库的文献，使用与主题相关的关键词进行布尔搜索语句。
不同的多能细胞类型的产生和维持涉及到不同的分子机制。此外，不同类别的多能细胞在表型和表观遗传修饰方面存在重要的相似性和差异。不同来源的多能细胞系在生长特性、发育潜能、转录活性和表观遗传调控方面存在差异。在获得后，多能干细胞通常获得新的特性，但它们往往也保留其组织来源的“痕迹”。
为了进一步了解自我更新和多能性的机制，需要对不同的多能干细胞类型进行彻底的比较。这将促进干细胞在基础生物学、药物发现和未来临床应用中的应用。
