Researchers have today announced their ability to turn normal mouse fibroblast cells into functioning neural cells. This is an exciting step for science as usually for a cell (in this case a fibroblast cell) to turn in to a different type of cell it must first become a stem cell – this step has now been removed from the process. Fibroblast cells are the most common connective tissue in animals and play a critical role in wound healing. The discovery was published today in the prestigious journal
Nature (subscription required) by researchers from Stanford University, California.
This is the first time that neurons have been created in an artificial way without the use of pluripotent stem cells. Pluripotent cells, meaning a cell which become any other kind of cell in the human body, include human embryonic stem cells (hESC) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. For more information on the different types of stem cells see the
ASCC’s Fact Sheets.
The Stanford University researchers used a virus to insert a combination of three neural genes into the fibroblast cell which would ‘reprogram’ it into becoming a neural cell. The virus is known as a lentivirus, which is commonly used in research as they can deliver a significant amount of genetic information into the DNA of a cell. This method of using a lentivirus to insert genetic material into cells is also currently the most common way to create
iPS cells.
The mouse fibroblast cells were then infected with the specially made lentivirus which genetically engineered the cells to be reprogrammed over 12 days into neuronal cells.
Directly reprogrammed cells represent another means for scientists to create and study neurons in the laboratory, adding yet another piece to the vast puzzle. The next important step is to achieve the same results in human cells which the researchers are confidence can be achieved. Direct reprogramming may provide researchers with a new tool for studying normal neurological biology, neurological disease and the testing of new drugs.
Thank you to Dr Andrew Laslett, Research Team Leader, CSIRO Molecular and Health Technologies for his help with information on this blog.