StemLight^™ iPS Cell Reprogramming Antibody Kit #9092

Pluripotency is the ability of a cell to differentiate into cell types of the three germ layers, the endoderm, ectoderm and mesoderm. It is a property shared by embryonic stem cells, embryonic carcinoma and induced pluripotent cells.
Oct-4, Sox2 and Nanog are key transcriptional regulators that are highly expressed in pluripotent cells (1). Together they form a transcriptional network that maintains cells in a pluripotent state (2,3). Over-expression of Oct-4 and Sox2 along with Klf4 and c- Myc can induce pluripotency in both mouse and human somatic cells, highlighting their roles as key regulators of the transcrip- tional network necessary for renewal and pluripotency (4-5). It has also been demonstrated that overexpression of Oct-4, Sox2, Nanog and Lin28 can induce pluripotency in human somatic cells (6). Upon differentiation of pluripotent cultures, expression of Oct-4, Nanog and Sox2 is downregulated.
SSEA4, TRA-1-81 and TRA-1-60 antibodies recognize antigens expressed on the cell surface of all pluripotent cells. SSEA4 recognizes a glycolipid carbohydrate epitope (7). TRA-1-60(S) and TRA-1-81 antibodies recognize different proteoglycan epitopes on variants of the same protein, podocalyxin (8). These epitopes are neuraminadase sensitive and resistant, respectively. Reactivity of SSEA4, TRA-1-81 and TRA-1-60 antibodies with their respective cell surface markers are lost upon differentiation of pluripotent cells, corresponding with a loss of pluripotent potential (9).