Induction of pluripotency in somatic cells is one of the central topics in stem cell research. Recently, Deng Lab and Tang Lab of Peking University collaborated in achieving an innovative breakthrough in the methods and mechanism of cellular reprogramming. They discovered that the conventional lineage specifiers are able to promote the induction of stem cells under certain conditions. Furthermore, they used computational methods to elucidate the underlying principles of this observation: the state of the cell-fate determination network needs to reach a balance in order to realize pluripotency. A “seesaw model” of cell fate determination was proposed, and following experiments validated the prediction of this model. The research paper is published in the journal Cell. (Shu et al., Induction of Pluripotency in Mouse Somatic Cells with Lineage Specifiers. (2013). Cell 153, 963-975)
