pluripotenti

Pluripotent refers to the capability of a cell to differentiate into any cell type derived from the three germ layers—ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm—while typically not forming placental or other extraembryonic tissues. In development, the inner cell mass of the blastocyst contains pluripotent stem cells. When cultured under suitable conditions, embryonic stem cells retain self-renewal and pluripotency, enabling them to differentiate into a wide range of somatic cell types.

A key example of pluripotent cells is embryonic stem cells (ESCs), which can give rise to many cell types but cannot by themselves form a complete organism. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are adult somatic cells reprogrammed to a pluripotent state through the expression of transcription factors such as Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc. iPSCs share many properties with ESCs, including pluripotency markers and unlimited proliferative capacity, and can be generated without using embryos.

Pluripotency is distinct from totipotency, which encompasses the ability to form both embryonic and extraembryonic tissues (such as the placenta), and from multipotency, which is limited to a narrower range of closely related cell types. Pluripotent cells are assessed by molecular markers (e.g., Oct4, Nanog, Sox2) and differentiation assays, including the formation of tissues from all three germ layers in vitro or in vivo.

Applications include regenerative medicine, disease modeling, and drug discovery. Challenges involve maintaining stable pluripotency in culture, minimizing genetic and epigenetic abnormalities, and addressing ethical and safety considerations for clinical use.