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Post-translational modulation of pluripotency Free
Ning Cai1,†, Mo Li2,†, Jing Qu1,2,†, Guang-Hui Liu1,2,*, and Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte2,3,*
1National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
2Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
3Center for Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona, Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain *Correspondence to:Guang-Hui Liu, E-mail: ghliu@ibp.ac.cn; Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, E-mail: belmonte@salk.edu, izpisua@cmrb.eu
J Mol Cell Biol, Volume 4, Issue 4, August 2012, 262-265,  https://doi.org/10.1093/jmcb/mjs031

The maintenance of pluripotency relies on an intricate transcriptional network hinged on a key set of transcription factors. Pluripotent stem cells have been shown to be sensitive to modulations of the cellular abundance and transcriptional activity of these key pluripotency factors. Recent evidence highlights the important role of post-translational modifications, including ubiquitination, sumoylation, phosphorylation, methylation, and acetylation, in regulating the levels and activity of pluripotency factors to achieve a balance between pluripotency and differentiation.