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Table 2 Transcriptomic comparisons between induced pluripotent stem cells and embryonic stem cells

From: Transcriptomic analysis of pluripotent stem cells: insights into health and disease

Characteristic

Mouse iPSCs

Human iPSCs

mRNA expression

Distinct from mESCs at lower passages, donor cell gene expression still present [62, 69]; closely resemble mESCs at late passages [62]

Distinct from hESCs at lower passages [58], with residual donor gene expression [70, 96, 97]; closely resemble hESCs at late passages [58, 98]

miRNA expression

miRNA encoded within the imprinted Dlk1-Dio3 locus is aberrantly silenced [60]

Small number of differences reported [58, 99], but variation between hESCs and hiPSCs comparable to somatic and cancer cells [100]

lncRNA expression

Not determined

Differences in lincRNA expression reported. lincRNA-RoR enhances reprogramming by twofold [13]

DNA methylation status

Distinct from mESCs at lower passages, donor cell DNA methylation pattern still present [62, 69]; closely identical to mESCs at late passages [62]

Differences in DNA methylation reported [59, 68, 70], but not in all hiPSCs [71]

Genome status

Not determined

Possess gene copy number deletions and duplications [63, 64], somatic coding mutations [65], and chromosomal duplications [66]

  1. hESC, human embryonic stem cell; hiPSC, human induced pluripotent stem cell; iPSC, induced pluripotent stem cell; lincRNA, long-intergenic non-coding RNA; lncRNA, long non-coding RNA; mESC, mouse embryonic stem cell; miRNA, microRNA.