Fig. 3

The low-Nanog state enhances cell differentiation through lower the transition barrier. a The potential landscape (computed by the trajectory density sampling) for the wild-type (WT) model. The white curve indicates the minimum action path (MAP) from the pluripotent state (green dot) to the ME state (blue dot). The green dotted line is a typical ODE trajectory showing the excursion due to the excitability of the system. b The control model (excluding the dynamics of Nanog). The black curve is the MAP from the pluripotent state (green dot) to the ME state (blue dot). c and d Comparison between the WT model (blue) and the control model (purple). The value of the potential landscape (c) and the action value (d) along the relative coordinate ([0,1]) of the MAP from the pluripotent state to the ME state