Location map for signaling protein identifies key molecular targets in human embryonic stem cells
Wednesday, September 25, 2013 - 07:01
in Biology & Nature
Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) retain the ability to form any cell type in the body. They do this thanks to the interplay of many proteins, including one involved in cell signaling known as extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2, or ERK2. By detailing all the sites in the genome where ERK2 binds, a team led by A*STAR scientists has now mapped the regulatory network by which this enzyme keeps hESCs in a state of self-renewing pluripotency.