【Animal Modeling】-Study on the three kinds of stem cells needed to transform experimental mouse skin cells into embryos

  Israeli researchers reported in the new issue of the American "Cell-Stem Cell" magazine that they successfully transformed skin cells into three main stem cells needed for early embryos in animal experiments, which can differentiate into tissues such as embryos, placenta, and umbilical cord. Stem cells.

  The researchers said that this result is not only of great significance for studying embryo and placental defects and solving certain infertility problems, but also means that in the future it is possible to use human skin cells to develop complete human embryos without sperm and eggs. .

  As early as 2006, Japanese researchers discovered that adult skin cells can be "reprogrammed" to return to a state similar to stem cells in natural embryos, and have the potential to re-differentiate into various organs and tissues. Such cells are called As "induced pluripotent stem cells." In recent years, researchers have used induced pluripotent stem cells to grow cardiomyocytes, liver cells and other cells, but they have not been able to use it to grow placenta and other tissues.

  Researchers from the Hebrew University of Israel found that after introducing a set of 5 genes into the skin cells of experimental mice, the skin cells can be transformed into three kinds of stem cells at the same time, which can be further differentiated into extraembryonic tissues such as embryos, placenta, and umbilical cord.

  According to reports, some researchers have tried to grow experimental mouse embryos without sperm and eggs, but they used these three kinds of stem cells isolated from the living and developing experimental mouse embryo related tissues and used them to re-culture. Experimental mouse embryos. On the basis of this research, it is possible that without "sacrificing" live embryos, experimental mouse embryos can be grown in test tubes using skin cells.