Blood Stem Cells Shown To Be Capable of Generating Neural Stem Cells in a Report in Journal of Hematotherapy & Stem Cell Research.Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers BIOWIRE2K LARCHMONT, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2003 Hematopoietic stem cells taken from fetal human liver and grown in a suitable microenvironment microenvironment /mi·cro·en·vi·ron·ment/ (-en-vi´ron-ment) the environment at the microscopic or cellular level. are able to generate neural stem cells, and those cells can then differentiate to become astrocytes astrocytes (as´trōsī´ts), n a large, star-shaped cell found in certain tissues of the nervous system. A mass of astrocytes is called astroglia. See also astrocytoma. , according to a paper to be published in the February 2003 (Volume 12, Number 2) issue of Journal of Hematotherapy & Stem Cell Research, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com). The paper, entitled "Fetal Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells Can Differentiate Sequentially into Neural Stem Cells and Then Astrocytes In Vitro," will be available free online at www.liebertpub.com/jht. The results of this study suggest that human hematopoietic stem cells may be a valuable "resource for the generation of neural stem cells for therapy of central nervous system defects resulting from disease or trauma," conclude the authors, Hsaio-Nan Hao hao n. pl. hao See Table at currency. [Vietnamese hào.] Noun 1. , M.D., Jiun Zhao, M.D., Ronald Thomas, Ph.D., Graham Parker, Ph.D., and William Lyman Ph.D. of the Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine The Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSUSOM) is the largest single-campus medical school in the United States with more than 1,000 medical students. In addition to undergraduate medical education, the school offers master’s degree, Ph.D. and M.D.-Ph.D. , and Children's Research Center of Michigan at the Children's Hospital of Michigan. According to Denis Denis, king of Portugal: see Diniz. English, Ph.D., journal Editor, Director, Experimental Cell Research Program, The Methodist Research Institute, and Associate Professor, Allied Health Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine The Indiana University School of Medicine is the medical school of Indiana University, part of the Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Established in 1903, the school had an initial class of 25 students. , "the results, while exciting, must be viewed as preliminary." Dr. English points out the fact that the therapeutic potential-even the characteristics and derivation--of these putative stem cells is the subject of a vigorous controversy in the field of stem cell research. "It is absolutely premature at this time to conclude that the hopes of stem cell research-cures for afflictions ranging from Alzheimer's disease to spinal cord injury Spinal Cord Injury Definition Spinal cord injury is damage to the spinal cord that causes loss of sensation and motor control. Description Approximately 10,000 new spinal cord injuries (SCIs) occur each year in the United States. , liver damage and disorders of other organs--will be realized with cells from non-embryonic sources." The researchers cultured fetal liver-derived hematopoietic stem cells (HSC HSC - High Speed Connect ) under one of three conditions: in astrocyte-conditioned medium; in a double-chamber system in which the HSC were co-cultured, but not in direct contact with astrocytes; or under control conditions. The HSC grown in astrocyte-conditioned medium or in co-culture with astrocytes expressed cell markers characteristic of neural stem cells, including nestin and BMP-2, demonstrating that they had activated genes normally expressed by neural precursor cells. The HSC grown under control conditions did not express these markers. Cells expressing the neural stem cell markers were able to differentiate in vitro into astrocytes, as was evident based on their morphology, their rate of proliferation, and their ability to express the astrocytic as·tro·cyte n. A star-shaped cell, especially a neuroglial cell of nervous tissue. as  tro·cyt markers glial fibrillary acidic protein Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is an intermediate filament (IF) protein that is found in glial cells such as astrocytes. First described in 1971[1], GFAP is a type III IF protein that maps, in humans, to 17q21. and S100. The teams' work was supported by the Children's Research Center of Michigan Endowment and Jean and Samuel Frankel. Journal of Hematotherapy & Stem Cell Research is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published bimonthly bi·month·ly adj. 1. Happening every two months. 2. Happening twice a month; semimonthly. adv. 1. Once every two months. 2. Twice a month; semimonthly. n. pl. in print and online. The journal is dedicated to communication and objective analysis of developments in the biology, characteristics, and therapeutic utility of stem cells, especially those of the hematopoietic system. A complete table of contents and free sample issue may be viewed online at www.liebertpub.com/jht. Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Cloning and Stem Cells, Human Gene Therapy, and Tissue Engineering. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 60 journals, books, and newsletters is available at www.liebertpub.com. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion