Scientists have made a major advance in understanding how the cells of an organism, which all contain the same genetic information, come to be so diverse. A study shows that a protein called OCT4 narrows down the range of cell types that stem cells can become. The findings could impact efforts to produce specific types of cells for future therapies to treat a broad range of diseases.

Source: Breakthrough in understanding how stem cells become specialized: Pluripotency factor primes genes involved in differentiation — ScienceDaily