Professor Roger Pedersen

Interests

Our principal objective is to define the molecular and genetic basis for the maintenance of the pluripotent status of human embryonic stem cells, and similarly, the basis for their differentiation into the primary body lineages: mesoderm, endoderm and neuroectoderm. Previous studies had revealed that pluripotency of human embryonic stem cells was not maintained by similar mechanisms as for mouse embryonic stem cells, whose self-renewal depends on Leukemia Inhibitor Factor and Bone Morphogenetic Protein. We have examined the effects of other growth factors known to be important in cell fate decisions of mammalian and other vertebrate embryos. We found that signaling through the Activin/Nodal pathway is critical for maintenance of pluripotency and that basic Fibroblast Growth Factor augments this pathway. We hypothesise that their effects in human embryonic stem cells involve alternative intermediate transcription factor(s) and target genes, which is the subject of our current studies.

Migratory behaviour in human embryonic stemcells
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Research Focus

Equipment

Cell culture

Confocal microscopy

Fluorescence microscopy

Microscopy

Protein purification

Recombinant protein expression