It appears that the state of pluripotency is not necessary to achieve a given type. It is at least what has been demonstrated in a study published today in Nature.
A team of researchers from Stanford University in California, has successfully transformed murine skin cells into nerve cells functioning with the application of only three genes. These cells have not previously had to become stem cells, the previous step for cells to acquire a new identity. In this way, as do not have to revert to this state prevents the teratogenic effect. Marius Wernig’s team published the results of their work today in Nature, which shows that only three factors, Ascl1, Brn2 (also called Pou3f2) and Myt1l, can become postnatal human fibroblasts and murine embryonic cells into functioning neurons in vitro.
This group has used a panel of 19 genes that are involved in epigenetic reprogramming in neuronal development and function, up to three required for reprogramming. They then applied the procedure in skin cells and mouse tail. They noted that about 20 percent of skin cells transformed into neurons in less than a week. “At first it seems a quick change, but is a major advance on the iPS, which takes several weeks. In addition, the iPS process is inefficient, because normally only between 1 and 2 per cent of the original cells become pluripotent, “he pointed Wernig.
Cells appeared not only neurons, but expressed neuronal proteins, and formed synapses with other neurons in lab dishes. The researchers believe that this is a more direct way to achieve the desired cells to get through the IPS. Able to obtain cells directly from the patient neurological allow researchers to study a determind disease such as Parkinson’s, in a laboratory dish. Someday be used for cell therapy.
Wernig’s group suggests that the pluripotent state, rather than being an element of changing the cells may simply add more mobile state. So with the right mix of specific genes for each of the desired cell types can have a domino effect on the target cell, erasing the modifications of DNA restriction and printing a new development goal in the genome. “This is a difficult theory to prove, but we believe that the induction of iPS is an investment for development. It’s probably more than a direct conversion of what we are looking for, from one cell to another happens is more to come to the embryonic state. This makes our ideas on epigenetic regulation are reversed.