Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Stem cells

Fusion brings down barriers

Nature volume 422, pages 823–825 (2003)Cite this article

It remains uncertain how tissue-specific stem cells could generate the mature cell types of another tissue. In one instance, where bone-marrow-derived stem cells repair damaged liver in mice, cell fusion is the answer.

The respective merits of embryonic versus adult stem cells for treating diseases have been widely discussed, in both the popular press and the scientific literature. In particular, reports that the developmental potential of adult stem cells might be greater than previously supposed have aroused strong interest and controversy. The papers by Wang and colleagues1 and Vassilopoulos and co-workers2 on pages 897 and 901 of this issue mark a further turn in the debate. These authors confirm that stem cells derived from adult bone marrow can repair damaged liver tissue in mice — but not by converting directly into liver cells, as might be expected if the stem cells could change their developmental 'destiny'. Instead, cell fusion with the host liver is responsible for bringing down the barriers between bone marrow and liver.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Possible mechanisms by which transplanted blood cells could transform into liver cells.
Figure 2: Formation and reduction of hybrids.

References

  1. Wang, X. et al. Nature 422, 897–901 (2003).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Vassilopoulos, G., Wang, P.-R & Russell, D. W. Nature 422, 901–904 (2003).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Blau, H. M., Brazelton, T. R. & Weimann, J. M. Cell 105, 829–841 (2001).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Anderson, D. J., Gage, F. H. & Weissman, I. L. Nature Med. 7, 393–395 (2001).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Lagasse, E. et al. Nature Med. 6, 1229–1234 (2000).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Ephrussi, B. Hybridization of Somatic Cells (Princeton Univ. Press, 1972).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Terada, N. et al. Nature 416, 542–545 (2002).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Ying, Q. L., Nichols, J., Evans, E. P. & Smith, A. G. Nature 416, 545–548 (2002).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Wagers, A. J., Sherwood, R. I., Christensen, J. L. & Weissman, I. L. Science 297, 2256–2259 (2002).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Jiang, Y. et al. Nature 418, 41–49 (2002).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Stem Cell Research, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JQ, UK

    Alexander Medvinsky & Austin Smith

Authors
  1. Alexander Medvinsky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Austin Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Alexander Medvinsky or Austin Smith.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Medvinsky, A., Smith, A. Fusion brings down barriers. Nature 422, 823–825 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/422823a

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/422823a

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing