Nuclear reprogramming and pluripotency.
The cloning of mammals from differentiated donor cells has refuted the old dogma that development is an irreversible process. It has demonstrated that the oocyte can reprogramme an adult nucleus into an embryonic state that can direct development of a new organism. The prospect of deriving patient-specific embryonic stem cells by nuclear transfer underscores the potential use of this technology in regenerative medicine. The future challenge will be to study alternatives to nuclear transfer in order to recapitulate reprogramming in a Petri dish without the use of oocytes.
Hochedlinger
Konrad
K
Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 9 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
Jaenisch
Rudolf
R
D000818:Animals; D002459:Cell Fusion; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000502:physiology*; D019976:Cloning, Organism; D006801:Humans; D053652:Nuclear Transfer Techniques; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D044968:Regenerative Medicine