University of Missouri researchers have become some of the first in the world to transform connective tissue cells from a pig into stem cells capable of becoming any part of the anatomy.
The achievement, published in the scientific journal PNAS, comes within weeks of two separate Chinese research groups publishing similar findings on pig stem cells. This flurry of discoveries mark the first steps in what will likely be a long road of trial and error needed to produce a safe, effective method to induce adult pig cells to become stem cells that can be used to grow or repair organs.
The method used by the MU researchers was to remove the connective tissue cells, known as fibroblasts, from a pig fetus and transfer them to a controlled medium. Researchers then used a specially designed retrovirus to insert four “reprogramming” genes into the cells’ DNA. These four genes reprogrammed the cells to behave like stem cells. The cells then continued to reproduce at a normal rate, and a small percentage of them exhibited the attributes of stem cells, including the presence of the protein OCT4, a key marker for “undifferentiated cells.”
Source and More:
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2009/jun/29/pig-tissues-offer-stem-cell-hope/
Monday, June 29, 2009
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