Embryonic stem cell lines from human blastocysts: somatic differentiation
in vitro
Benjamin E. Reubinoff1, 2, Martin F. Pera1, Chui-Yee Fong3, Alan Trounson1
& Ariff Bongso3
1
Monash Institute of Reproduction & Development,
Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
2
Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Hadassah
University Hospital, Ein-Karem, Jerusalem,
Israel
3
Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, National
University of Singapore, Singapore
Correspondence should be addressed to Martin F. Pera martin.pera@med.monash.edu.auembryonic stem celldifferentiationOct-4neural progenitorneuron
We describe the derivation of pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells from
human blastocysts. Two diploid ES cell lines have been cultivated in vitro
for extended periods while maintaining expression of markers characteristic
of pluripotent primate cells. Human ES cells express the transcription factor
Oct-4, essential for development of pluripotential cells in the mouse. When
grafted into SCID mice, both lines give rise to teratomas containing derivatives
of all three embryonic germ layers. Both cell lines differentiate in vitro
into extraembryonic and somatic cell lineages. Neural progenitor cells may
be isolated from differentiating ES cell cultures and induced to form mature
neurons. Embryonic stem cells provide a model to study early human embryology,
an investigational tool for discovery of novel growth factors and medicines,
and a potential source of cells for use in transplantation therapy.
