From Parts List to Architecture

FLAP ABOUT OVERLAP:Courtesy of the University of Wisconsin, MadisonHuman embryonic stem cells, pictured here, probably share some expressed genes with neural and hematopoietic stem cells, but perhapsnot to the extent that was first anticipated, based on studies with mouse cells.Perhaps a picture is worth a thousand back Science words. Venn diagrams in back-to-papers from 2002 feature three intersecting circles representing gene-expression profiles shared among murine hematopoietic stem cells (HS

Ricki Lewis

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Courtesy of the University of Wisconsin, Madison

Human embryonic stem cells, pictured here, probably share some expressed genes with neural and hematopoietic stem cells, but perhapsnot to the extent that was first anticipated, based on studies with mouse cells.

Perhaps a picture is worth a thousand back Science words. Venn diagrams in back-to-papers from 2002 feature three intersecting circles representing gene-expression profiles shared among murine hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), neural stem cells (NSCs), and embryonic stem cells (ESCs). These profiles define genes that the researchers term a molecular signature, or parts list, for "stemness." Since then, many studies have extended their results. "The global gene-profiling approach to identifying and defining stem cells is alive and well," says James Sherley, associate professor in the biological engineering division of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Data derived from the Science Watch/Hot Papers database and the Web of Science (Thomson Scientific) show that Hot ...

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