SnapShot: Directed Differentiation of Pluripotent Stem Cells

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) posses great potential for applications in regenerative medicine, disease modeling, and developmental biology studies. This potential relies on the ability of these cells to differentiate into the hundreds of cell types within the body. Here, we highlight some of strategies for directing the differentiation of ESCs and iPSCs into defined cell types. Most cell types and pathways depicted correspond to published work on human cells, except for the production of spermatozoa, oocyte-like cells, otic hair cells, cortical layers, and optic cup, which were generated with mouse ESCs or iPSCs.In order to uncover these differentiation strategies, stem cell biologists have relied heavily on previous research in model organisms, including