“Embryonic” Stem Cells Derived from Reprogrammed Mouse Skin Cells
Three independent laboratories reported strikingly similar results this week, in the journals Nature and Cell Stem Cell, showing successful reversion of mouse skin cells to an embryonic-like state. In a method that is reportedly much simpler than nuclear transfer, the skin cells were reverted to a pluripotent state following injection with four transcription factors, Oct4, Sox2, c-Myc, and Klf4. The cells have been dubbed “iPS Cells” referring to their “induced pluripotent state”.
According to interviews reported by NewScientist.com, the race is on to duplicate these experiments in humans. However, the same four transcription factors did not have the same effect for human cells and it is expected that more transcription factors will be needed to have the same effect. Other additional factors complicate the use of this technique at present, for therapeutic cloning and other biomedical technologies, and may limit it to in vitro use for the study of genetic diseases. However, these reports are viewed as a major breakthrough and particularly positive news for advocates of stem cell research, in light of the controversy surrounding the ethics of stem cell research.
Abstracts for the peer-reviewed articles by Okita, Ichisaka, and Yamanaka, and Wernig et al., are available online, while the full-text article by Maherali et al. is available for free.
Sources:Cyranoski, D. Simple Switch Turns Cells Embryonic. Nature 447, 618-619 (7 June 2007) | doi:10.1038/447618a; Published online 6 June 2007.
Marshall, J. and Geddes, L. Stem Cells: From Adult to Embryo. From issue 2607 of New Scientist magazine, 06 June 2007, page 8-9. Posted on NewScientist.com at http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19426073.800-stem-cells-from-adult-to-embryo.html.
Okita, K., Ichisaka, T. & Yamanaka, S. Nature doi:10.1038/nature05934 (2007).
Wernig, M. et al. Nature doi:10.1038/nature05944 (2007).
Maherali, N. et al. Cell Stem Cell doi:10.1016/j.stem.2007.05.014 (2007).
Comments
A comment on todays BIG biotech story re: the ongoing stem cell contraversy. The story by Theresa Phillips misses the BIG social/scientific issue emerging from this work. But so did the extensive discussion on tonight’s PBS news hour so don’t be ashamed. The new stem cell results demonstrate the feasibility of a new way to clone animal organs and tissues surely. But they also demonstrate a new way to clone entire organisms including a mouse and (theoretically) a person while bypassing entirely any part of the sexual reproduction process. Isn’t this closer to playing God than anything what’s been the focus of arguement up till now? Cloning embryonic stem cells produced by nature is tame compared to producing new embryonic stem cells from scratch capable of reproducing an entire animal. Its amazing that the first media reactions failed to focus on this. This has got to make the previous objections to biotech childs play compared to this. As a scientist I say, in the words of our illustrious leader, “bring it on”. Biotech’s handiwork is no less an expression of God’s intellegent design work than any other human creativity.
You may be right about it being closer to playing God. Interesting comment!
Thanks.