@inbook{c94fc8c12f744f7fb8d5c1124d89e2d1,
title = "Assessing the function of mTOR in human embryonic stem cells",
abstract = "We described a protocol for dissecting the function of an important serine/threonine protein kinase, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), in regulating the long-term undifferentiated growth of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The function of mTOR in hESCs was inactivated with a highly specific chemical inhibitor, rapamycin, and gene-specific small-hairpin RNAs, and the effects were evaluated under self-renewal or early differentiation conditions. We found that inactivation of mTOR impairs proliferation and enhances mesoderm and endoderm activities of hESCs. This protocol described a general strategy for studying the function of key genes and signaling events during hESC long-term self-renewal and early lineage specifications with pharmacological and genetic approaches.",
keywords = "Differentiation, Human embryonic stem cell, Long-term self-renewal, mTOR",
author = "Jiaxi Zhou and Dong Li and Fei Wang",
year = "2012",
doi = "10.1007/978-1-61779-430-8_23",
language = "English (US)",
isbn = "9781617794292",
series = "Methods in Molecular Biology",
pages = "361--372",
editor = "Thomas Weichhart",
booktitle = "mTOR",
}