成体干细胞的可塑性

随着大量实验不断证明成体干细胞可塑性的存在,人们便试图从理论上对该现象的发生机制作出解释,以期更好地开展研究与应用。该探讨成体干细胞可塑性的相关研究进展和应用前景中存在的诸多问题。     

成体干细胞的可塑性研究进展

人们传统观念认为成体干细胞局限于生成它们所在组织的分化细胞类型。但近年来的实验结果表明,从一个组织来的成体干细胞能被诱导分化成另外的一个组织的分化细胞,即成体干细胞具有可塑性。在此,我们对成体干细胞可塑性的证据、几种假设、调控机制和应用前景等方面做一综述。     

成体干细胞及其可塑性的研究进展

自从1998年第一次从内细胞团分离到人的胚胎干细胞,人们很快认识到胚胎干细胞在再生医学中的潜在应用价值。人们相信干细胞的研究将带来临床治疗各种疾病的革命。随着科学的进展,人们从胎儿和出生后个体的不同组织中分离到具有自我     

成体干细胞的可塑性:横向分化还是细胞融合?

近年来研究显示成体干细胞(adult stem cells)具有可塑性(plasticity),不仅可以生成它们所在组织的成熟细胞,而且在特定环境下能分化成其他组织类型细胞,这种跨系或跨胚层分化现象称为横向分化或转分化(transdifferentiation)。横向分化已为成体干细胞的研究和临床应用包括组织器官损伤的修复提供了新的思路和应用前景。然而,最近的一些研究进展又引出不同的解释,即成体干细胞的可塑性是由于细胞融合(cellfusion)的结果。在此,就成体干细胞的可塑性、横向分化、细胞融合等方面研究作一综述。     

成体骨髓源多能间充质干细胞体内分化皮肤干细胞和皮肤组织

近年来,因在退行性或遗传性等疾病中潜在的治疗前景,成体干细胞可塑性引起众多学者的广泛兴趣。有许多报道显示骨髓源干细胞植入体内可生成多种组织细胞,但到目前为止,成体干细胞可塑性尚存争议,尤其是关于成体干细胞体内分化成皮肤组织的报道较少且意见不一。本工作,自成年BALB／C小鼠的骨髓中分离获得并体外培养扩增多能间充质干细胞,将适量的供体BALB／C小鼠骨髓源多能间充质干细胞和一定量的C57BL／6小鼠骨髓细胞经尾静脉共同植入经致死量照射的成年C57BL／6小鼠。40天后,观察到受体C57BL／6小鼠背部出现白色毛发,逐渐扩展至3—4cm^2,同时还出现在颈部和腹部,取该部位的皮肤组织进行免疫组化检测及RT—PC汉检测。蛋白水平和基因水平的结果均显示受体C57BL／6小鼠出现白色毛发处的皮肤组织为BALB/C来源。首次直接证明了成体骨能源多能间充质干细胞体内在一定条件下可以分化成皮肤干细胞及皮肤组织。不仅为研究体内诱导皮肤分化的机制也为鉴定成体多能干细胞提供了一个模型,也为成体干细胞可塑性理论提供了新的依据。     

成体干细胞及其在再生医学中的应用

成体干细胞研究的最主要目的就是有朝一日将其应用于临床疾病的治疗。随着对成体干细胞可塑性研究的不断深入和临床应用研究的不断扩展,人们对成体干细胞最终走向临床应用抱有越来越大的希望。本文就成体干细胞的可塑性及其在四种疾病中应用的基础研究进行探讨。     

成体干细胞研究进展

近年来由于成体干细胞研究技术的突破 ,成体干细胞的多向分化潜能日益为人们所关注。尤其“横向分化”的发现 ,不仅更新了对成体干细胞的传统认识 ,而且为其临床疾病治疗奠定了基础。介绍了成体干细胞的特点及分化潜能 ,并对其临床应用作了概括性讨论。     

揭秘成体干细胞

干细胞研究给人类带来很多福音已是不争的事实,但作为干细胞研究主要部分的胚胎干细胞研究在取得系列成果的同时也带来了一系列的伦理争议(见本刊上期)。而时于成体干细胞的研究在一定程度上回避了伦理问题。本文系统介绍了成体干细胞研究的基础知识、研究现状及发展前景。细读此文,相信你一定会有所收获。     

成体干细胞肺重建研究进展

成体干细胞来源广泛,无伦理争议,成为近几年的关注热点。研究表明以骨髓来源的间充质干细胞为代表的成体干细胞具有较强的多系分化潜能,可以广泛的参与包括肺在内的受损组织的修复与重建。在动物实验中已观察到,供体来源的成体干细胞可以定向分化为受损肺组织的多种功能细胞,并且有抑制纤维化等病变产生的能力。在本文中,回顾了近年来与肺损伤重建和疾病治疗相关的干细胞研究的最新进展,并探讨了成体干细胞治疗肺疾病与损伤的临床应用前景。     

成体干细胞的应用

近年来干细胞移植治疗心肌损伤、脑损伤和肝硬化等疾病已经成为研究热点,其成果令人鼓舞。胚胎干细胞（ESC）虽然具有无可非议的多向分化潜能,但如何使移植ESC在增殖能力、无致瘤性和分化潜能之间保持微妙的平衡,以及如何处理医学伦理、移植物排斥等问题都没有得到很好的解决。与ESC相比,从临床的角度成体干细胞（adult stem cell,ASC）更为大家所关注,ASC存在于骨髓、肌肉等多种器官、组织中,在器官和组织的自我修复和再生活动中发挥着重要的作用。采用自身ASC进行移植,更可完全避免移植后的免疫排斥反应。     

Issues in stem cell plasticity

Experimental biology and medicine work with stem cells more than twenty years. The method discovered for in vitro culture of human embryonal stem cells acquired at abortions or from?surplus” embryos left from in vitro fertilization, evoked immediately ideas on the posibility to aim development and differentiation of these cells at regeneration of damaged tissues. Recently, several surprising observations proved that even tissue‐specific (multipotent) stem cells are capable, under suitable conditions of producing a while spectrum of cell types, regardless, whether these tissues are derived from the same germ layer or not. This ability is frequently called stem cell plasticity but other authors also use different names ‐?non‐orthodox differentiation” or?transdifferentiation”. In this paper we wish to raise several important questions and problems related to this theme. Let us remind some of them: Is it possible to force cells of one‐type tissue to lool and act as cells of another tissue? Are these changes netural? Could these trans‐formations be used to treat diseases? What about the bioethic issue? However, the most serious task “still remains to be soloved ‐ how to detect, harvestand culture stem cells for therapy of certain diseases”.     

成体干细胞多能性研究进展

成体干细胞是存在于机体组织的一类原始状态细胞,它们能够进行自我复制和特异分化,用于维持新陈代谢和创伤修复,年珲来越来越多的实验表明成体干细胞多向分化潜能,一种组织的干细胞可以分化成其他组织类型的细胞。作者介绍了国际上对成体干细胞概念的新看法,讨论了成体干细胞多能性的调控机理及与之相关的研究方法,还简要概括了成体干细胞在理论和临床应用上的重要意义。     

Adipogenic differentiation of adipose tissue derived adult stem cells in nude mouse

We evaluated the use of a combination of adipose tissue derived adult stem cells (ADSCs) obtained from liposuction and injectable poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) spheres for adipose tissue engineering. Adipogenesis was examined in nude mice injected subcutaneously with ADSCs (group I), PLGA spheres (group II), or ADSCs attached PLGA spheres (group III) cultured in adipogenic medium for 7 days. After 4 and 8 weeks, newly formed adipose tissue was observed in groups II and III but not in group I. Oil red O staining of newly formed tissue showed that there was substantially more tissue regeneration and adipogenic differentiation in group III than in group II. RT-PCR confirmed that, after 8 weeks, the PLGA-attached ADSCs had fully differentiated into adipocytes. This study provides significant evidence that ADSCs and PLGA spheres can be used in a clinical setting to generate adipose tissue as a noninvasive soft tissue filler.     

The role of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor in the proliferation of adult hippocampal neural stem and precursor cells

New neurons are continuously generated from resident pools of neural stem and precursor cells(NSPCs)in the adult brain.There are multiple pathways through which adult neurogenesis is regulated,and here we review the role of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor(NMDAR)in regulating the proliferation of NSPCs in the adult hippocampus.Hippocampal-dependent learning tasks,enriched environments,running,and activity-dependent synaptic plasticity,all potently up-regulate hippocampal NSPC proliferation.We first consider the requirement of the NMDAR in activity-dependent synaptic plasticity,and the role the induction of synaptic plasticity has in regulating NSPCs and newborn neurons.We address how specific NMDAR agonists and antagonists modulate proliferation,both in vivo and in vitro,and then review the evidence supporting the hypothesis that NMDARs are present on NSPCs.We believe it is important to understand the mechanisms underlying the activation of adult neurogenesis,given the potential that endogenous stem cell populations have for repopulating the hippocampus with functional new neurons.In conditions such as age-related memory decline,neurodegeneration and psychiatric disease,mature neurons are lost or become defective;as such,stimulating adult neurogenesis may provide a therapeutic strategy to overcome these conditions.     

Plasticity of epidermal adult stem cells derived from adult goat ear skin

Here we report the isolation and characterization of pluripotent stem cells from adult goat skin. We found that these primary cells have the properties of embryonic stem cells (ESC), including the expression of appropriate immunological markers and the capability of forming embryoid bodies. The subcultured cells also show the characteristics of stem cells, such as the expression of CK19, beta(1-)integrin, P63, and formation of holo-clones in culture. Therefore, we termed these cells epidermal adult stem cells (EpiASC), although their origin was not identified. We have shown that clones of individual EpiASC proliferate and differentiate in culture to produce neurons, cardiomyocytes, osteoblasts, and occytes. Further, we cultivated EpiASC on bioengineered dermis and denuded human amniotic membrane (HAM), to reconstruct artificial skin and corneal epithelium. We successfully transplanted those artificial tissues in goats with acute full-thickness skin defect (AFTSD) and limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD), respectively. Our results showed that indeed EpiASC reconstructed the skin (hair was observed in restored areas), and repaired the damaged cornea of goats with total LSCD. These data confirm that EpiASC can differentiate into different functional cell types in vivo or in vitro. Due to their high degree of inherent plasticity, and to their easy accessibility for collection from the skin, EpiASC are excellent candidate sources for diverse cell therapies.     

Environmental control of lineage plasticity and stem cell memory

Tissue-resident stem cells (SCs) are critical players in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis. SCs reside in complex and uniquely anatomically organized microenvironments (SC niches), that carefully control SC lineage outputs depending on localized tissue needs. Upon environmental perturbations and tissue stressors, SCs respond and restore the tissue to homeostasis, as well as protect it from secondary assaults. Critical to this function are two key processes, SC lineage plasticity and SC memory. In this review, we delineate the multifactorial determinants and key principles underlining these two remarkable SC behaviors. Understanding lineage plasticity and SC memory will be critical not only to design new regenerative therapies but also to determine how these processes are altered in a multitude of pathologies such as cancer and chronic tissue damage.