Table 1

Summary of characteristics differences between embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs)

Feature	Embryonic stem cells (ESCs)	Epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs)
Source	Inner cell mass of pre-implantation embryo	Epiblast of post-implantation embryo
State of pluripotency	Naïve	Primed
Differentiation potential	More versatile, can differentiate into all three germ layers	More restricted, mainly mesoderm and ectoderm
Culture conditions	Feeder cells or defined media	Activin A, FGF and Nodal
Molecular markers	OCT-3/4, NANOG, SOX2	OCT-3/4, NANOG, GATA6, OTX2
Use in research	Regenerative medicine, drug screening, gene therapy	Developmental biology, tissue-specific differentiation

Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology 2024;39:313-22 https://doi.org/10.12750/JARB.39.4.313