WP3931 - Embryonic stem cell pluripotency pathways - Homo sapiens

The cytokine LIF and its downstream effector STAT3 are essential for maintenance of pluripotency in mouse ES cells. The requirement for the transcription factor Oct3/4 for ES cell pluripotency is also well-documented. However, LIF is not involved in self-renewal of human ES cells, suggesting that other pathways must play an important role in this process. The importance of other signal transduction pathways, including BMP and Wnt signalings, as well as novel transcription factors such as Nanog, is now being recognized.
Pathway source: Intracellular Signaling Pathways Regulating Pluripotency of Embryonic Stem Cells, Okita et al, Current Stem Cell Research and Therapy, 2006, 1, 103-111.

Proteins on this pathway have targeted assays available via the [https://assays.cancer.gov/available_assays?wp_id=WP3931 CPTAC Assay Portal]