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Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: Chinese biologists find new method to improve cell reprogramming efficiency LONDON, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Sequential introduction of the proteins known to reprogram cells could improve the efficiency of cell reprogramming, according to a new study reported in Nature Cell Biology on Sunday. Currently, researchers use simultaneous introduction method in cell reprogramming, which introduces the proteins to reprogram cells back to a pluripotent, embryonic-like state. Chinese stem-cell biologist Pei Duanqing and colleagues from Chinese Academy of Sciences reported that the sequential introduction of reprogramming proteins outperforms simultaneous introduction. According to the report, sequential introduction leads to a greater number of cells being reprogrammed than traditional method, and the increase in efficiency was observed both for mouse and human differentiated cells. The successive expression of reprogramming factors promotes the cells to adopt mesenchymal characteristics before going through an epithelial state and finally reaching pluripotency. This discovery provided a technique for further optimizing the reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells, researchers said. "Improving the efficiency of reprogramming somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells is highly beneficial to researchers," Professor Pei told Xinhua. "The researchers could use reprogrammed cells to analyze how defects characteristic of a variety of diseases appear in cells in the laboratory or to test the potential of drugs to cure these defects," said Pei. Editor: Mengjie Poster Comment: Mesenchymal stem cells, or MSCs, are multipotent stromal cells that can differentiate into a variety of cell types,[1] including: osteoblasts (bone cells),[2] chondrocytes (cartilage cells),[3] and adipocytes (fat cells). This phenomenon has been documented in specific cells and tissues in living animals and their counterparts growing in tissue culture. Definition of Human pluripotent stem cell Human pluripotent stem cell: One of the "cells that are self-replicating, are derived from human embryos or human fetal tissue, and are known to develop into cells and tissues of the three primary germ layers. Although human pluripotent stem cells may be derived from embryos or fetal tissue, such stem cells are not themselves embryos." (From the National Institutes of Health Guidelines for Research Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.) "Self-replicating" means the cell can divide and to form cells indistinguishable from it. The "three primary germ layers" -- called the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm -- are the primary layers of cells in the embryo from which all tissues and organs develop. Human pluripotent stem cells are also known as human embryonic stem cells. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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