ROS Levels Control PSC Proliferation

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) participate in the regulation of almost all intracellular processes; however, the number of studies devoted to redox signaling in pluripotent cells (PSCs) remains limited. In a new STEM CELLS article, researchers led by Julia Ivanova (Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia) discovered that proliferation and accurate DNA synthesis in PSCs require the maintenance of physiological levels of ROS. A decrease in ROS levels leads to the disturbance of S-phase regulation, loss of DNA integrity, and apoptosis. Overall, this article provides new insight into the redox homeostasis of PSCs, which may represent a powerful tool for research in developmental biology and biomedical applications.