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Molecular Signaling Pathway for Maintaining Self-renewal of Embryonic Stem Cells


Yuan Gao, Hou-Yan Song*
The Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Ministry of Education, China; Institute of Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Sciences (IBS), Fudan University, Shanghai 200032 , China
Abstract: Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) are derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of mammalian preimplantation blastocyte. They can undergo symmetrically self-renew to consistently maintain the undifferentiated state. Multiple cytokine-mediated signaling pathways participate in regulating such status of ES cells. We reviewed the molecular signaling pathways being critical to the maintenance of self-renewal of ES cells based on the current research results. And furthermore, we addressed some pending results which seem to be essential for the undifferentiated proliferation of ES cells.


CSTR: 32200.14.cjcb.2005.04.0004