Abstract:
The notion of using pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) as a source of differentiated cell types for replacement of disease or damaged tissues in regenerative medicine is now an active area of research, with approaches to treating eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration or Parkinson\'s disease now on the horizon. But the foundations for this research lie in a quite different area of science, namely the role of genetics of cancer. In this review, we trace the evolution of ideas starting with the discovery that strain 129 mice are particularly subject to develop germ cell tumors, through the identification of embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells as the stem cells of the teratocarcinoma manifestation of these tumors, to the recognition of their relationship to pluripotent cells of the early embryo, and eventually their role in the derivation of embryonic stem cells, first from mouse embryos and then from primates including humans. This is a story that illustrates how science commonly develops through the interests and insights of individual investigators, often with unexpected and unintended outcomes.
摘要:
在再生医学中,使用多能干细胞(PSC)作为分化细胞类型的来源来替代疾病或受损组织的概念现在是一个活跃的研究领域。治疗眼部疾病的方法,如年龄相关性黄斑变性或帕金森氏病。但是这项研究的基础在于一个完全不同的科学领域,即癌症遗传学的作用。在这次审查中,我们从发现129株小鼠特别容易发展生殖细胞肿瘤开始追踪思想的演变,通过将胚胎癌(EC)细胞鉴定为这些肿瘤的畸胎癌表现的干细胞,认识到它们与早期胚胎多能细胞的关系,最终它们在胚胎干细胞衍生中的作用,首先来自小鼠胚胎,然后来自包括人类在内的灵长类动物。这是一个故事,说明了科学如何通过个人调查人员的兴趣和见解共同发展,经常有意想不到的和意想不到的结果。