Embryonic stem (ES) cells have the capacity to self renew and to differentiate into cellular
derivatives of the endodermal, ectodermal, and mesodermal lineages. Therefore, ES cells
have been used to analyse the effects of exogenous factors on the developmental pattern
during in vitro differentiation. By using an in vitro loss-of-function approach based on β1
integrin-deficient ES cells, it was found that integrin-dependent mechanisms are involved in
the regulation of Wnt-1 and BMP-4 expression. Antagonistic effects of the signalling …