Scientists Develop New Technique to Reprogram Stem Cells
July 30, 2014| |
Researchers have developed a new technique in reprogramming cells. The new method is based on exposure to environmental stimuli, including mechanical stress or a low pH.
Previous studies have shown that certain environmental conditions can reprogram plant cells, but animal cells have been more inflexible. Haruko Obokata at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan and colleagues tested various conditions to see if any could change the differentiation state of mouse lymphocytes taken from the spleens of week-old animals. In one of their tests, dropping the pH of the cell culture from a little above 7 to 5.7 for 25 minutes led to increased expression of the pluripotency gene in a portion of the cells, implying reverting to a stem-cell state.
"They were stripped of their differentiation memory and reverted to a state of pluripotency that in many ways resembled what is seen in (embryonic stem) cells," said Obokata.
Read more information at http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/39025/title/New-Method-for-Reprogramming-Cells/.
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