Concise Review: Lessons from Naive Human Pluripotent Cells

The naive state of pluripotency is actively being explored by a number of labs. There is some controversy in the field as to the true identity of naive human pluripotent cells as they are not exact mirrors of the mouse. The various reports published, although in basic agreement, present discrepancies in the characterization of the various lines, which likely reflect the etiology of these lines. The primary lesson learned from these contributions is that a human naive state reflecting the preimplantation human is likely to exist. The essential factors that will universally maintain the naive state in human cells in vitro are not yet fully understood. These first need to be identified in order to describe the definitive characteristics of this state. Comparisons of naive and primed human pluripotent cells have also highlighted consistencies between states and broadened our understanding of embryonic metabolism, epigenetic change required for development, embryonic DNA repair strategies and embryonic expression dynamics.