of mouse embryonic stem cells

Embryonic stem cells are considered to have a potential use in Re-generative Medicine due to three key properties: a) pluripotency, that is, the plasticity to differentiate into any cell type through asymmetric divisions, b) high proliferation rate and clonal regeneration through symmetric divisions, and c) the ability, although limited, to maintain an undifferentiated state in culture. For these reasons, the use of mouse embryonic stem cells is a fundamental tool for the decipher-ing of the operating mechanisms that need to occur for the in vitro differentiation of insulin-producing cells. This strategy may have an enormous implication in Regenerative Medicine for the treatment of diabetes. In this context, the in vitro culture of embryonic stem cells requires the control of a number of factors. Variability in such factors can compromise the differentiation potential of these cells in both directed and spontaneous differentiation protocols, resulting in a dra-matic alteration of the final cell product