What are the reliable tests for proof of pluripotency?
What are the reliable tests for proof of pluripotency?
| Proof of marker genes: Genes like Oct4, which are silent in differentiated somatic cells, are switched on in iPS cells. Proof of teratoma formation: If pluripotent iPS cells are injected under the skin of mice, a special form of tumor, known as a teratoma, develops. This growth contains different types of somatic cells and is similar to embryonic tumors with the formation of the three “germ layers” from which different tissue types develop. |