Editor's Summary

20 December 2007

Nanog changes tack

In 2003 the transcription factor Nanog was identified as a key contributor to the property that makes embryonic stem cells unique: pluripotency. Nanog, named after Tir nan Og, the 'land of the forever-young' of Celtic myth, was thought to be required for stem cells to multiply while retaining the potential to differentiate. New work in mouse embryonic stem cells suggests a rather different picture. In fact Nanog is not essential for maintaining pluripotency; its levels fluctuate, but Nanog appears to stabilize the pluripotent state by resisting or reversing alternative states of gene expression.

Letter: Nanog safeguards pluripotency and mediates germline development

Ian Chambers, Jose Silva, Douglas Colby, Jennifer Nichols, Bianca Nijmeijer, Morag Robertson, Jan Vrana, Ken Jones, Lars Grotewold & Austin Smith

doi:10.1038/nature06403

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