Cell Lineage

During embryonic development, pluripotent stem cells differentiate into 3 germ layers: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. These germ layers differentiate into multipotent stem cells (progenitors), which progress into terminally differentiated cells. Developmental processes require tightly regulated and carefully timed gene expression changes. The changes in gene expression are frequently regulated at the epigenetic level, in particular via DNA methylation. Analysis of specific cellular markers or activation of specific transcription factors involved in a differentiation process identify intermediately or terminally differentiated cells. In addition, cell lineage analyses can be used to study specific differentiation mechanisms. For example, expression of an early ectoderm marker in a neuron could denote that terminal differentiation is not complete, or a dysregulation of the differentiation program. Oncogenic cells often regress to an earlier developmental state, and the mechanisms of this process are under study. Therefore, analyses throughout cellular lineage progression, from pluripotent stem cells through progenitor cells to terminally differentiated cells, yield insights into normal and pathophysiological developmental processes.

QIAGEN provides a broad range of assay technologies for cell lineage research that enable analysis of gene expression and regulation, epigenetic modification, genotyping, and signal transduction pathway activation. Solutions optimized for cell lineage studies include PCR array, miRNA, siRNA, mutation analysis, pathway reporter, chromatin IP, DNA methylation, and protein expression products.