Lefty at the crossroad of 'stemness' and differentiative events

¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
² Laboratory of Molecular Vertebrate Embryology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: tabibzadeh{at}bioscience.org.

	Abstract

Stem cells are functionally defined by their ability of self renewal and generation of a progeny capable of creation or reconstitution of various tissues. Microarray analysis has shown a member of the TGF-beta super family, Lefty, to be the single most abundant inhibitor in stem cells and in the maternal decidua that supports embryo implantation. Lefty is regulated by pathways such as Smad and WNT, and by the transcriptional factor, Oct3/4 that support 'stemness'. Lefty is also induced upon exit from the state of 'stemness', including forced in vitro differentiation, and LIF withdrawal. Lefty is a candidate in cell fate decisions, for its unique ability to modulate the expression of TGF-beta family proteins such as Nodal and by blanket inhibition of the activity of members of this family that require EGF-CFC as a co-receptor.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L.-M. Postovit, N. V. Margaryan, E. A. Seftor, D. A. Kirschmann, A. Lipavsky, W. W. Wheaton, D. E. Abbott, R. E. B. Seftor, and M. J. C. Hendrix Human embryonic stem cell microenvironment suppresses the tumorigenic phenotype of aggressive cancer cells PNAS, March 18, 2008; 105(11): 4329 - 4334. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]