20 June 2002

Stem Cell Web Focus

Stem cells are truly remarkable. They bridge the gulf between the fertilized egg that is our origin and the architecture that we become. They supply the cells that construct our adult bodies and, as we age, replenish worn out, damaged and diseased tissues. They renew themselves, resisting the powerful pull towards differentiation that overcomes more prosaic cells. And depending on the source, they have the potential to form one, many or all cell types of an organism.

Stem cell research has a history of more than 20 years, and has made some outstanding contributions to our understanding of haematopoiesis and mouse embryology. But the field has been transformed in the past few years by successes achieved in culturing human embryonic stem cells, the building blocks for every tissue we comprise, and in manipulating their differentiation in vitro. This web focus encompasses a one-stop shop for a selection of excellent articles and features on stem cells handpicked from the pages of Nature, including the specially commissioned Stem Cell Insight.

Dopamine neurons derived from embryonic stem cells function in an animal model of Parkinson's disease
JONG-HOON KIM , JONATHAN M. AUERBACH , JOS� A. RODR�GUEZ-G�MEZ , IV�N VELASCO , DENISE GAVIN , NADYA LUMELSKY , SANG-HUN LEE , JOHN NGUYEN , ROSARIO S�NCHEZ-PERNAUTE , KRYS BANKIEWICZ & RON MCKAY
Nature AOP published online 20 June 2002; doi:10.1038/nature00900
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Pluripotency of mesenchymal stem cells derived from adult marrow
YUEHUA JIANG , BALKRISHNA N. JAHAGIRDAR , R. LEE REINHARDT , ROBERT E. SCHWARTZ , C. DIRK KEENE , XILMA R. ORTIZ-GONZALEZ , MORAYMA REYES , TODD LENVIK , TROY LUND , MARK BLACKSTAD , JINGBO DU , SARA ALDRICH , AARON LISBERG , WALTER C. LOW , DAVID A. LARGAESPADA & CATHERINE M. VERFAILLIE
Nature AOP published online 20 June 2002; doi:10.1038/nature00870
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Biomedicine: Stem-cell competition
STUART H. ORKIN & SEAN J. MORRISON
The debate continues over the relative merits of using embryonic and adult stem cells for research — and perhaps, one day, to treat patients. Two new papers look at the abilities of these remarkable cells.
Nature 418, 25–27 (4 July 2002)
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Stem cell hopes double
Embryo and adult stem cell findings may re-fuel cloning research debates
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Stem cells — hype and hope
RON MCKAY
Nature 406, 361–364 (2000); doi:10.1038/35019186
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Can they rebuild us?
PETER ALDHOUS
The idea of therapeutic cloning, which offers the potential of growing replacement tissues perfectly matched to their recipients, is falling from favour. But there are alternatives, as Peter Aldhous found out.
Nature 410, 622–625 (2001); doi:10.1038/35070659
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Stem cells
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Stem cells: Cell fusion causes confusion
ANDREW E. WURMSER & FRED H. GAGE
'Transdifferentiation' is a poorly understood process invoked to explain how tissue-specific adult stem cells can generate cells of other tissues. New results challenge its existence.
Nature 416, 485–487 (2002); doi:10.1038/416485a
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A collection of articles written by Nature's news team and covering the ethical and legal debate about the use of embryonic stem cells, and reporting on the latest research developments in the field.
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Establishment in culture of pluripotential cells from mouse embryos.
Evans MJ, Kaufman MH.
Nature 292, 154-6 (1981)
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Formation of germ-line chimaeras from embryo-derived teratocarcinoma cell lines.
Bradley A, Evans M, Kaufman MH, Robertson E.
Nature 309, 255-256 (1984)
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Differentiation of adult hippocampus-derived progenitors into olfactory neurons in vivo.
Suhonen JO, Peterson DA, Ray J, Gage FH.
Nature 383, 624-627 (1996)
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Viable offspring derived from fetal and adult mammalian cells.
Wilmut I, Schnieke AE, McWhir J, Kind AJ, Campbell KH. .
Nature 385, 810-813 (1997)
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A mouse model for beta 0-thalassemia.
CHAD MAY , STEFANO RIVELLA , JOHN CALLEGARI , GLENN HELLER , KAREN M. L. GAENSLER , LUCIO LUZZATTO & MICHEL SADELAIN
Nature 406, 82–86 (2000); doi:10.1038/35017565
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Flk1-positive cells derived from embryonic stem cells serve as vascular progenitors.
JUN YAMASHITA , HIROSHI ITOH , MASANORI HIRASHIMA , MINETARO OGAWA , SATOMI NISHIKAWA , TAKAMI YURUGI , MAKOTO NAITO , KAZUWA NAKAO & SHIN-ICHI NISHIKAWA
Nature 408, 92–96 (2000); doi:10.1038/35040568
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Purification of a pluripotent neural stem cell from the adult mouse brain
RODNEY L. RIETZE , HELEN VALCANIS , GORDON F. BROOKER , TIM THOMAS , ANNE K. VOSS & PERRY F. BARTLETT
Nature 412, 736–739 (2001); doi:10.1038/35089085
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Monoclonal mice generated by nuclear transfer from mature B and T donor cells
KONRAD HOCHEDLINGER & RUDOLF JAENISCH
Nature AOP published online 10 February 2002; doi:10.1038/nature718
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