Stem cell transformation
13 Oct 2010 by Evoluted New Media
Stem cells have a unique ability to change their genetic make-up depending on their environment, and new research shows that cells from the thymus can transform into skin cells – complete with hair – and contribute to the long-term functioning of the organ.
Stem cells have a unique ability to change their genetic make-up depending on their environment, and new research shows that cells from the thymus can transform into skin cells – complete with hair – and contribute to the long-term functioning of the organ.
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| A cross section of skin showing rat thymic epithelial cells (green) contributing to hair follicles and sebaceous glands |
The research may provide new opportunities in the field of organ transplantation and regeneration, for example for severe burn victims. It also calls into question standard biological models by showing that it’s possible to create tissues from cells with different embryonic origins.
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh and Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) isolated thymic epithelial cells (TECs) taken from the thymus of a rat and integrated them into the rat’s skin. They found the cells took up a new role in the skin according to their new environment.
“These cells really change track, expressing different genes and becoming more and more important,” said Professor Yann Barrandon, head of Stem Cell Dynamics and EPFL, “This operation could theoretically have been reproduced with other organs.”
Until now, experiments using hair follicle stem cells to maintain hair and skin growth have been limited, but this new experiment shows that stem cells have the ability to express a genetic mark-up different to its original. The thymic stem cells – which teach T-cells to recognised and destroy bacteria and cancer cells while in the thymus – have proven effective for up to a year after implantation, a major improvement over the three week’s hair follicle stem cells lasted.
