Reporter gene systems for the identification and characterization of cancer stem cells

Figure 1 The pluripotency transcription factors POU class 5 homeobox 1, Sex-determining region Y box-2 and Nanog homeobox control stemness. A: In embryonic stem cells, POU class 5 homeobox 1, Sex-determining region Y box-2 and Nanog homeobox form a transcription network that maintain pluripotency and inhibits differentiation. B: In cancer cells, those transcription factors play key roles in controlling the functional characteristics that define cancer stem cells. OCT4: POU class 5 homeobox 1; SOX2: Sex-determining region Y box-2; NANOG: Nanog homeobox.