Navigation Links
Scientists identify embryonic stem cells by appearance alone
Date:8/27/2007

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (August 27, 2007) Some scientific results are hard to spot, especially in genetic research. Often scientists are unable to physically see if the gene they inserted into a cell has produced the desired trait. To overcome this problem researchers use various genetic markers that contain pieces of foreign DNA that cause cells to, for example, glow when exposed to ultraviolet light.

But scientists in the lab of Whitehead Member Rudolf Jaenisch didnt have to resort to these genetic markers in their latest experiment because the results were easy to see. Building on their widely publicized June Nature paper, which demonstrated that its possible to convert specialized mouse skin cells into unspecialized stem cells, Whitehead postdoctoral researchers Alexander Meissner and Marius Wernig have now identified successfully reprogrammed cells by looks alone.

Their findings, which appear online in the journal Nature Biotechnology on Aug. 27, bring human stem cell therapies a step closer to reality. Before reprogramming can be applied to our own species to generate custom embryonic stem cells, scientists must be able to accomplish it without altering the DNA of the cells involved.

This eliminates one of the major hurdles to reprogramming human cells, says Jaenisch, who is also an MIT professor of biology. If we overcome the other obstacles, this approach could one day provide custom human embryonic stem cells for use in therapy.

Last spring, Wernig and Meissner relied on genetic markers to identify successfully reprogrammed cells. This required them to work with fibroblasts from a genetically modified mouse. The mouse was grown from embryonic stem cells that contained foreign DNA coding for antibiotic resistance. The scientists had strategically inserted these foreign DNA markers at particular points along the genome, next to genes expressed only in embryonic stem cells. All of the cells (including fibroblasts) in the res
'/>"/>

Contact: Ceal Capistrano
capistrano@wi.mit.edu
617-258-5183
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. Wisconsin scientists grow critical nerve cells
2. Scientists ID molecular switch in liver that triggers harmful effects of saturated and trans fats
3. UCSB scientists probe sea floor venting to gain understanding of early life on Earth
4. UAB scientists discover the origin of a mysterious physical force
5. Fox Chase Cancer Center scientists identify immune-system mutation
6. Scientists Replicate Hepatitis C Virus in Laboratory
7. Scientists detect probable genetic cause of some Parkinsons disease cases
8. Scientists find missing enzyme for tuberculosis iron scavenging pathway
9. Scientists seek answers on what activates deadly anthrax spores
10. Yale Scientists Find MicroRNA Regulates Ras Cancer Gene
11. Scientists collaborate to assess health of global environment

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:11/24/2009)...ridge, Md. (November 24, 2009) New research on ba...ver ecosystems reveals predictable temporal patter...munities as markers for monitoring climate change ...ek in the Proceedings of the National Academy of ...unities in the six rivers shifted synchronously ov...
(Date:11/23/2009)...Cambridge, Mass. November 23, 2009 Applied mathe... lily ( Hosta lancifolia ), a characteristic long ... packed ripples along the edges. The simple cause ...ulting from bending during differential growthwas ...etching foam ribbons. , Haiyi Liang, a postdocto...
(Date:11/23/2009)...ington, CT Current research suggests that a commo.... The related report by Nichols et al, "Unique Li... Class of TLR2 Ligands Capable of Enhancing Autoim... American Journal of Pathology . , Multiple scl...acks the brain and spinal cord, affects nearly 1 i...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Researchers establish common seasonal pattern among bacterial communities in Arctic rivers 2The cause behind the characteristic shape of a long leaf revealed 2Factors from common human bacteria may trigger multiple sclerosis 2China Pharma Holdings Inc to Present at Brean Murray China Growth Conference 14881 1China Pharma Holdings Inc to Present at Brean Murray China Growth Conference 14881 2Quest Diagnostics Announces Pricing of Tender Offer for Any and All of Certain of its Outstanding Notes 6360 1Quest Diagnostics Announces Pricing of Tender Offer for Any and All of Certain of its Outstanding Notes 6360 2Quest Diagnostics Announces Pricing of Tender Offer for Any and All of Certain of its Outstanding Notes 6360 3Quest Diagnostics Announces Pricing of Tender Offer for Any and All of Certain of its Outstanding Notes 6360 4VIVUS to Host Conference Call and Webcast Discussion of Avanafil Phase 3 Results 6356 1VIVUS to Host Conference Call and Webcast Discussion of Avanafil Phase 3 Results 6356 2
...ists have reported a new and potentially important...phytoplankton may influence the formation of cloud...Discovery of the new link between clouds and the b...cloud cover observed over an area of the Southern ...urring. Based on satellite data, the researchers ...
...numerous studies has helped scientists examine spe...cidence, according to a study in the October 4 iss...te. , The Breast Cancer Association Consortium b...ucting breast cancer research. Numerous studies by...er of single nucleotide polymorphisms, single vari...
...University of York are to play a pivotal role in n...tal problem caused by discarded liquid crystal dis..., appearing in everything from pocket calculators ... , But the liquid crystals they contain are pote...o rapid that society is already discarding million...
Other Biology News:Researchers link ocean organisms with increased cloud cover and potential climate change 2Researchers link ocean organisms with increased cloud cover and potential climate change 3Researchers link ocean organisms with increased cloud cover and potential climate change 4Recycling technology 2
(Date:11/24/2009)... Ambassador to also Visit Detroit , ... , ,Who: David Appia, French Ambassador for Intern...vest in France Agency, , , , ,What: Ambassador Ap...ent pro-business initiatives adopted by France to ... landscape for innovation and development., , ,Whe...
(Date:11/24/2009)...ndBLENHEIM,Ontario,Nov.24/PRNewswire-FirstCall/--D...assetsofHylandSeeds,adivisionofThompsonsLimitedofB...rexpandDowAgroSciences,currentseedsbusinessastheco... 2010 andDowAgroSciencesHerbicideTolerantTraitTe...edinthenearfuture. ,, "Thisacquisitionbringstog...
(Date:11/24/2009)... Health care employment grew by 29,000 ...e to show consistent growth during the U.S. recess...in in trouble, and health systems are coming close...tead of just administrators. , ...loyment continued growing in October despite the s...
(Date:11/24/2009)...,Calif.,Nov.24/PRNewswire-FirstCall/--NeurogesX,In...ondevelopingandcommercializingnovelpainmanagementt...tandChiefExecutiveOfficer,isscheduledtopresentatth...ldDecember1-2,2009atTheNewYorkPalaceHotelinNewYork...fFinancialOfficer,willbeavailabletorespondtoquesti...
Breaking Biology Technology:Dow AgroSciences Canada Announces Agreement to Acquire Hyland Seeds 2Dow AgroSciences Canada Announces Agreement to Acquire Hyland Seeds 3The MedZilla Report for October 2009 - Health Care Employment Grows Again in October Even As Clinics, Specialty Centers Close 2The MedZilla Report for October 2009 - Health Care Employment Grows Again in October Even As Clinics, Specialty Centers Close 3The MedZilla Report for October 2009 - Health Care Employment Grows Again in October Even As Clinics, Specialty Centers Close 4NeurogesX to Present at Piper Jaffray Health Care Conference 2NeurogesX to Present at Piper Jaffray Health Care Conference 3
...confused. Governor Doyles new Growth Council seems...hat theyre out of touch. After looking at the rost...three women were mentioned, to say nothing of mino...-finding mission and found that: , ,1) Four out of...men, Gen Xers (b. 1961-1981), and minorities (Sour...
...N, WI - Even as the State Assembly Ways and Means ...- a measure that would end state and local sales t...Representatives was passing a measure that, if it ... , ,The U.S. House Tuesday passed H.R. 49 , which...n taxation of Internet connectivity. The bill woul...
...sconsin Technology Network recently interviewed tw...t their work in games and education, and how the p...ademics. The first interview is with Dr. James Gee...lum and Instruction in the School of Education at ...ave to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Dr. G...
Other Biology Technology:State and Feds Race to Stop Taxation of Internet Access 2State and Feds Race to Stop Taxation of Internet Access 3State and Feds Race to Stop Taxation of Internet Access 4The Learning Game - Researchers Study Video Gaming Principles that Apply to Education 2The Learning Game - Researchers Study Video Gaming Principles that Apply to Education 3The Learning Game - Researchers Study Video Gaming Principles that Apply to Education 4The Learning Game - Researchers Study Video Gaming Principles that Apply to Education 5The Learning Game - Researchers Study Video Gaming Principles that Apply to Education 6
...hat will help protect your PCR runs against contam...or to use, reducing the possibility that contamina...educe the chance of airborne contamination., The n... view, an acid-resistant black formica work surfac...
UltraVIEW Upgrade from Andor Technology
DNeasy Plant Maxi Kit (24) from QIAGEN
...s a 96-well ELISA-compatible plate (containing 12 ...onal Antibody is immobilized by a method that reta...cally recognizes the tail fiber protein of the T7 ...ity of 10 9 phage per well and low non-specific b...
Biology Products: