Nathaniel Meyer

Oct 25, 2024 | elifesciences.org | Valerie Horsley |Nathaniel Meyer |Dianyuan Zhao |Aya Nasserdine

Before an embryo implants itself into the uterine wall, the stem cells it contains exist in a primitive ‘naïve’ pluripotent state from which they can develop into any cell type in the future body. After implantation, however, these cells transition to a primed pluripotent state where they exhibit more limited potential with each cell only being able to adopt a few predetermined fates. Once primed, the cells then differentiate into the multiple lineages of a developing embryo.