Figure 1From: Challenges to the clinical application of pluripotent stem cells: towards genomic and functional stabilityp53 maintains genetic stability of ESCs by coordinating their DNA damage response and self-renewal. The activation of p53 in ESCs by oncogenic and genotoxic stresses could lead to activation of the G2/M checkpoint and apoptosis of ESCs. In addition, p53 suppresses the expression of the pluripotency factor NANOG, thus maintaining the genetic stability of ESCs in the self-renewing pool by eliminating DNA-damaged ESCs.Back to article page