Fig. 5
From: Nanog induced intermediate state in regulating stem cell differentiation and reprogramming
Summary of the dual roles of Nanog in differentiation and reprogramming. a, c, e, g Cellular states shown on the potential landscape; (b, d, f, h) Corresponding metaphoric energy curves. a, b Spontaneous transition between high/low-Nanog states in stem cells; c, d Differentiation tendency of stem cells: the low-Nanog intermediate state reduces the transition barrier in the differentiation process, making stem cell more prone to differentiate. The solid curve is with the Nanog dynamics and the dotted curve without; e, f Reprogramming with only Oct4 and Sox2 activation: large fraction of low-Nanog cells reduces the efficiency of reprogramming; g, h Reprogramming with additional Nanog activation: elimination of the low-Nanog subpopulation increases reprogramming efficiency