Expression and Function of Pluripotency Genes in Adult Stem Cells.

In this chapter we will discuss the data published regarding expression of two key ESC transcription factors, Oct4 and Nanog, in adult stem cells. In an introduction, we will discuss what is known regarding these two genes during embryonic development, as well as the evidence existing for the presence of pseudogenes as well as alternative spliced forms of these two genes. We will also address the tools available (or not) to discriminate between these different forms of Oct4 and Nanog, and how these might help in elucidating in the future; whether adult somatic stem cells express the Oct4 and Nanog genes that are known to play a role in the self-renewal and pluripotency characteristics of ESC, and whether such expression plays a role in the potency of adult tissue derived stem cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]