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Stem cells

A new route to rejuvenation

Nature volume 443, pages 284–285 (2006)Cite this article

Embryonic stem cells are prized for their ability to mature into all the specialized adult cell types. It may now be possible to reprogramme adult body cells to have the characteristics of stem cells.

It is relatively easy to grow an entire plant from a small cutting, but it seems inconceivable that the diverse tissues such as nerve and muscle in mammals like ourselves could be regenerated directly from a single adult tissue. Yet a study by Takahashi and Yamanaka published in Cell1 has brought us tantalizingly close to just such a possibility. Working with a variety of fetal and adult mouse cells, including adult fibroblasts from tail clippings, these investigators rejuvenated them using just four genes, restoring their vigour and their potential to differentiate into diverse cell types. This remarkable work improves the prospects for a similar outcome using human cells.

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Figure 1: Cellular reprogramming.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wellcome Trust Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK

    M. Azim Surani & Anne McLaren

Authors
  1. M. Azim Surani
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  2. Anne McLaren
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Surani, M., McLaren, A. A new route to rejuvenation. Nature 443, 284–285 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/443284a

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