The pluripotent state is first established in the primitive ectoderm cells of blastocysts but is progressively and irreversibly lost during development. For example, the transition from primitive ectoderm cell to epiblast cell, post implantation, involves significant transcriptional and epigenetic changes. A technique for reprogramming advanced epiblast cells from embryonic day 5.5–7.5 mouse embryos to embryonic-stem-cell-like cells — representing a return to pluripotency — is now demonstrated.
- Siqin Bao
- Fuchou Tang
- M. Azim Surani