Scientists at A*STAR’s Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS)
and the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (MPIMG) in Berlin (Germany)
have discovered a molecular network in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) that
integrates cell communication signals to keep the cell in its stem cell state.
These findings were reported in the June 2013 issue of Molecular Cell.
Human embryonic stem cells have the remarkable property that
they can form all human cell types. Scientists around the world study these
cells to be able to use them for medical applications in the future. Many
factors are required for stem cells to keep their special state, amongst others
the use of cell communication pathways.