德國(guó)明斯特馬普分子醫(yī)學(xué)研究所研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)了獲取干細(xì)胞的新途徑,，他們通過(guò)特殊的培植方法，從成年實(shí)驗(yàn)鼠睪丸細(xì)胞中獲取了與胚胎干細(xì)胞性質(zhì)相似的干細(xì)胞,，這種干細(xì)胞同樣可以用于動(dòng)物器官和肌體組織再造,。這一成果刊登在最新一期的《細(xì)胞·干細(xì)胞》雜志上。
雄性動(dòng)物的睪丸具有很強(qiáng)的細(xì)胞再生能力,，男人即使在七老八十還能持續(xù)產(chǎn)生精液,，只要有條件就能繼續(xù)生育后代。因此,，研究人員猜測(cè)睪丸細(xì)胞中含有具備類(lèi)似胚胎干細(xì)胞的特性,、能構(gòu)成人體器官和組織的200多種類(lèi)型的細(xì)胞。國(guó)際上許多研究小組確實(shí)從人體和實(shí)驗(yàn)鼠生殖腺中找到了一些證據(jù)：2004年初日本的一個(gè)研究小組發(fā)現(xiàn),，新生鼠睪丸中的特定細(xì)胞具有類(lèi)似胚胎干細(xì)胞的特性,，可培育多種器官組織；2006年德國(guó)哥廷根大學(xué)的研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),，這種睪丸細(xì)胞的轉(zhuǎn)換能力在成年雄性動(dòng)物中也存在,。
睪丸細(xì)胞轉(zhuǎn)換成干細(xì)胞的能力已經(jīng)可以肯定，但如何通過(guò)人工方法使睪丸細(xì)胞變成類(lèi)似的胚胎細(xì)胞還存在相當(dāng)?shù)募夹g(shù)難度,，德國(guó)明斯特馬普分子醫(yī)學(xué)研究所正是在這一點(diǎn)上取得了突破,。該所研究人員Kinarm Ko博士及其同事首先從成年鼠的睪丸細(xì)胞中培植出了一種所謂的胚腺體干細(xì)胞(英文簡(jiǎn)稱(chēng)為GSGs)，在自然環(huán)境下,，這種細(xì)胞一直可以產(chǎn)生新的精液,。一個(gè)成年鼠的睪丸細(xì)胞中每次可以培植出2個(gè)至3個(gè)這樣的細(xì)胞，然后提取單個(gè)細(xì)胞進(jìn)行隔離和繁殖。細(xì)胞培植的過(guò)程通常要幾周,。
馬普分子醫(yī)學(xué)研究所的這項(xiàng)成果在于用簡(jiǎn)單的方法,，可以成功地從睪丸細(xì)胞中獲取類(lèi)似的胚胎干細(xì)胞，而不必在細(xì)胞轉(zhuǎn)換過(guò)程中借助基因,、病毒或修正蛋白,。進(jìn)一步的試驗(yàn)顯示，這種從睪丸細(xì)胞中獲取的干細(xì)胞同樣可以培植各種器官和肌體組織細(xì)胞,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Cell Stem Cell, Volume 5, doi:10.1016/j.stem.2009.05.025
Induction of Pluripotency in Adult Unipotent Germline Stem Cells
Kinarm Ko1,Natalia Tapia1,Guangming Wu1,Jeong Beom Kim1,Marcos J. Araúzo Bravo1,Philipp Sasse2,Tamara Glaser3,David Ruau4,5,Dong Wook Han1,Boris Greber1,Kirsten Hausd?rfer3,Vittorio Sebastiano1,Martin Stehling1,Bernd K. Fleischmann2,Oliver Brüstle3,Martin Zenke4,5andHans R. Sch?ler1,,
1 Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster 48149, Germany
2 Institute of Physiology I, Life & Brain Center, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany
3 Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, Life & Brain Center, University of Bonn and Hertie Foundation, 53105 Bonn, Germany
4 Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Cell Biology, RWTH Aachen University Medical School, Aachen 52074, Germany
5 Helmholtz Institute for Biomedical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
Mouse and human stem cells with features similar to those of embryonic stem cells have been derived from testicular cells. Although pluripotent stem cells have been obtained from defined germline stem cells (GSCs) of mouse neonatal testis, only multipotent stem cells have been obtained so far from defined cells of mouse adult testis. In this study we describe a robust and reproducible protocol for obtaining germline-derived pluripotent stem (gPS) cells from adult unipotent GSCs. Pluripotency of gPS cells was confirmed by invitro and invivo differentiation, including germ cell contribution and transmission. As determined by clonal analyses, gPS cells indeed originate from unipotent GSCs. We propose that the conversion process requires a GSC culture microenvironment that depends on the initial number of plated GSCs and the length of culture time.
