A gene crucial for to embryonic stem cell’s ability to differentiate into any type of cell (pluripotency) has been identified by a team of researchers from Israel, Portugal, and the United States. Described in the upcoming issue of Nature, the gene seems to act by keeping genetic material open and available to express any gene.

Researchers discovered that the gene played a fundamental role in re-activating differentiated tissue cells in order to create new stem cells. Besides offering a better understanding of stem cells’ unique characteristics, the discovery holds out the promise of obtaining stem cells from tissue-specific cells and avoiding all the problems associated with obtaining embryonic stem cells.