SD Jacinto
Bio 1
Institute of Biology UP Diliman
periods by cell division Under special conditions can be induced to differentiate into many types of cells with different functions (e.g. myocardiocytes, insulin producing cells) 2 types
or more in the lab w/out differentiating but most adult stem cells cannot What are the factors in living organisms that normally regulate stem cell proliferation and self renewal What are the signals in mature organism causing stem cells to proliferate and remain unspecialized until the cells are needed for repair of a specific tissue
http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics3.asp
Are
signals for differentiation similar for all stem cell types Can specific signals be identified that promote differentiation into specific cell types
E.g. morphological stability, presence of molecular surface markers, chromosomal number, viability after freezing and thawing, pluripotency
medium, alter the surface of culture dish or make transgenic cells If directed differentiation is reliable and reproducible, ESC can be used to treat certain diseases in the future e.g. Parkinsons disease, traumatic spinal cord injury, Purkinje cells degeneration, Duchennes muscular dystrophy, heart disease and vision and hearing loss
http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics3.asp
Also called somatic stem cells Undifferentiated cells found among differentiated
Can renew itself Can differentiate to yield major specialized cell types of the tissue or organ 1o role is to maintain and repair Origin is unknown
cells that can differentiate into connective tissue cells and neurons Plasticity was also discovered
http://stemcells.nih.gov/staticresources/info/scireport/PDFs/chapter8.pdf
skeletal muscles, skin and liver ASC occur in very small number in each tissue; are quiescent for many years until they are called to duty during injury or disease
Potential Uses of SC
May yield information about events occurring
during human development May yield information on how diseases arise and may suggest new strategies for therapy Used for drug screening Generation of cells and tissues to be used for cell based therapy
Relevant alternatives
The case of the induced pluripotent stem cells Cord blood banking
iPSC
To be useful for transplant purposes, stem cells must be reproducibly made to:
Proliferate extensively and generate sufficient quantities of tissue. Differentiate into the desired cell type(s). Survive in the recipient after transplant. Integrate into the surrounding tissue after transplant. Function appropriately for the duration of the recipient's life. Avoid harming the recipient in any way.
: www.nih.gov/news/stemcell/ primer.htm
: easyweb.easynet.co.uk/ ~sfl/rlb_stem.htm
production of human cloned embryo Faked production of 11 patient tailored cell lines from embryonic clones