“Self-Eating” and the Fate of Embryonic Stem Cells (IMAGE)

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

“Self-Eating” and the Fate of Embryonic Stem Cells

Caption

Translucently colored embryonic stem (ES) cell (upper right) and its differentiating derivatives (left and lower right). The small round bodies inside cells represent lysosomes, with the pink color indicating ones that are undergoing chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), a selective form of autophagy that is demonstrated only in mammals. CMA governs the balance between self-renewal and differentiation of ES cells. It is kept at low levels in undifferentiated ES cells to maintain the pluripotent state. Upon induction of differentiation, CMA flux increases due to the reduction of pluripotency factors, leading to changes in cellular metabolism and epigenetic landscape that favor differentiation.

Credit

Alex Tokarev

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