Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.
J Exp Med. 2010 Oct 25;207(11):2287-95. doi: 10.1084/jem.20101438.
Embryonic stem (ES) cells are derived from the inner cell mass of the preimplantation embryo and are pluripotent, as they are able to differentiate into all cell types of the adult organism. Once established, the pluripotent ES cells can be maintained under defined culture conditions, but can also be induced rapidly to differentiate. Maintaining this balance of stability versus plasticity is a challenge, and extensive studies in recent years have focused on understanding the contributions of transcription factors and epigenetic enzymes to the "stemness" properties of these cells. Identifying the molecular switches that regulate ES cell self-renewal versus differentiation can provide insights into the nature of the pluripotent state and enhance the potential use of these cells in therapeutic applications. Here, we review the latest models for how changes in chromatin methylation can modulate ES cell fate, focusing on two major repressive pathways, Polycomb group (PcG) repressive complexes and promoter DNA methylation.
胚胎干细胞（ES 细胞）来源于着床前胚胎的内细胞团，具有多能性，因为它们能够分化为成体组织的所有细胞类型。一旦建立，多能 ES 细胞可以在定义的培养条件下维持，但也可以迅速诱导分化。维持这种稳定性与可塑性之间的平衡是一个挑战，近年来广泛的研究集中于理解转录因子和表观遗传酶对这些细胞“干性”特性的贡献。确定调节 ES 细胞自我更新与分化的分子开关可以深入了解多能状态的本质，并增强这些细胞在治疗应用中的潜在用途。在这里，我们综述了染色质甲基化变化如何调节 ES 细胞命运的最新模型，重点介绍了两个主要的抑制途径，多梳抑制复合物（PcG）和启动子 DNA 甲基化。
