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Pluripotent stem cells are cells that have the capacity to self-renew by dividing and to develop into the three primary germ cell layers of the early embryo and therefore into all cells of the adult body, but not extra-embryonic tissues such as the placenta.

Vitamins and hyaluronic acids play a key role in epigenetic modification in the progression of diseases, such as cancer. It may have an impact on cancer biology research in the future.

Gabriella Minchiotti, a researcher at the Italy Research Council, explains, “We found that two metabolites, vitamin C and L- proline, play an important role in controlling stem cell behavior. This study confirms that multipotent embryonic stem cells present at the earliest stages of development are pushed by vitamin C to a more immature ‘naive’ state, and they are forced to get a ‘primed’ state when L- proline exists. Therefore, vitamin C and L- proline have opposite effects on embryonic stem cells, and this is related to their ability to modify DNA. They change the methylation of DNA, thereby regulating gene expression, but not changing its sequence. “

Stem cells have a unique ability to self-renew and differentiate into other cell types, which makes them very attractive in medical research and biological research. “Embryonic stem cells are the most potent stem cells, which means that they can produce all the cell types of the organism, such as cardiomyocytes, neurons, and bone cells. Like normal stem cells, cancer stem cells can be self-renewing and differentiated and are thought to lead to tumor growth and treatment resistance. “

This study has an understanding of how metabolites regulate the pluripotent nature of embryonic stem cells and affect their epigenetic genomes. This will not only enhance our understanding of the biological characteristics of normal stem cells but also provide a new understanding of the biological characteristics of cancer stem cells, thus helping to identify new potential therapeutic targets.