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Nature 418, 282-283 (18 July 2002) | doi:10.1038/418282a
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Academic Surgical Pathologists GI / Breast / GYN
- Medical College of Wisconsin
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
John Innes Centre Project Leader in Plant or Microbial Sciences
- University of East Anglia
- Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
Developmental biology: Decisions, decisions!
Brigid Hogan
Abstract
Early embryo cells can develop either into specialized body cells or into precursors of eggs or sperm. It is not understood how this crucial decision is made in mammals, but new work brings us closer to the answer.
One of the most contentious issues in biology today is whether a stem cell from an adult tissue, committed to generate a few specialized cell types, can be 'reprogrammed' to produce many more. Pushing the envelope, some have even suggested that an adult cell might be persuaded to give rise to eggs and sperm1 — our precious germ cells, which together can generate a complete organism.
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