NURDs are required for diversity

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) can maintain their undifferentiated state indefinitely in culture (self-renewal), but must also retain the ability to differentiate into the various cell types found in the body (pluripotency). The co-existence of these two properties requires a balance between stable maintenance of ESC identity and the flexibility to reprogram cellular identity upon receiving a differentiation signal. The mechanisms underlying this developmental flexibility are largely unknown