2i, or Not 2i: The Soliloquy of Nanog-Negative Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

Abstract

In this issue of Stem Cell Reports, Hastreiter et al. (2018) use continuous time-lapse imaging of mouse embryonic stem cells to investigate how the inhibition of GSK3b and MEK/ERK (2i) leads to homogeneous expression of the transcription factor Nanog. They show that both induction of Nanog expression and selection against cells expressing low levels of Nanog contribute to the homogeneous appearance of 2i cultures. : In this issue of Stem Cell Reports, Hastreiter et al. (2018) use continuous time-lapse imaging of mouse embryonic stem cells to investigate how the inhibition of GSK3b and MEK/ERK (2i) leads to homogeneous expression of the transcription factor Nanog. They show that both induction of Nanog expression and selection against cells expressing low levels of Nanog contribute to the homogeneous appearance of 2i cultures.