Pluripotency refers to a stem cell that has the potential to differentiate into any of the three germ layers: endoderm (interior stomach lining, gastrointestinal tract, the lungs), mesoderm (muscle, bone, blood, urogenital), or ectoderm (epidermal tissues and nervous system), which later develops into a complete organism.

Pluripotent stem cells are often termed 'true' stem cells because they have the potential to differentiate into almost any cell in the body. This means that under the right circumstances, a stem cell that is isolated from an embryo can produce almost all of the cells in the body.

During embryonic development, specialized cells (e.g., muscle or immune cells) arise from a common stem cell that differentiates via a series of cellular changes triggered by specific gene expression patterns. Scientists can recover these embryonic stem (ES) cells from embryos and manipulate them in vitro to study early development. They can also differentiate ES cells into cell types that are useful for therapeutic purposes, such as transplantation. The reprogrammed cells, called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, exhibit functional similarities to ES cells and present an exciting area of research. The ability to reprogram somatic cells into iPS cells that are pluripotent and can self–renew has transformed the fields of developmental biology and regenerative medicine.

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