Tissue repair bone and joint injuries, and osteoporosis may become more quick and simple process, thanks to the team at Stanford University discovered a new type of human stem cells, which deliver cells bone, cartilage, and other tissues that make up our skeleton. During the experiments, the researchers grew stem of these bone cells in laboratory mice. About the discovery of scientists reported in the journal Cell.
Scientists around the world for a long time was engaged in search of the skeletal stem cells. In the framework of earlier studies in organisms of mice was discovered the so-called mesenchymal stem cells. Over time, they turn into bone cells and cartilage as well as adipose, muscle and connective tissues. In other words, mesenchymal stem cells were the universal basis for forming other types of cells.
Nevertheless, the problem remained unresolved. Scientists could not determine cells, which lie at the basis solely of the skeletal tissue. Some hope emerged by the year 2015, when the team Michael Longaker from Stanford University studied mesenchymal stem cells of mice. We are talking about lab mice, genetically engineered to make available different types of stem cells have different colors. This feature gave scientists the ability to conduct accurate monitoring of what types of cells formed bone tissue. Further, identifying the identified genes in these stem cells, scientists have identified the genetic signature (the signature).
Despite the success with mice, the scientists for a long time could not achieve similar results with human skeletal stem cells. According to Langacker, the difficulty lies in the fact that there is no right opportunity to highlight different types of cells in the human body.
Transplantation in the mouse, human skeletal stem cells produced bone cells (marked yellow), cartilage (blue) and cells spongy bone (red)
Next, the researchers took in developing human fetal cells with bone tissues. Using these cells, the researchers were looking for in the cartilaginous growth plate is similar to the stem cells of mice genetic signature. And as it turned out, a similar signature have fetal stem cells. Placing them in a Petri dish, scientists began to follow, both of them formed new bone and cartilage tissue.
To confirm the discovery, the researchers used fragments of bone tissues obtained during surgery of hip and knee joints of one of the patients at the local hospital. In these tissues, experts have found the same cells with the same genetic signature. They, too, were placed in Petri dishes. Observation showed that cells forming new bone and cartilage tissue and it does not form fat, muscle and others that suggests that the scientists are bone stem cells.
“These cells turned out to be true skeletal stem cells,” says Longaker.
For a reliable way to produce large quantities of these cells experts cultivated genetically modified induced pluripotent (they can be “programmed” to enter any other kind of cells). For efficiency, the growth of these cells was placed in a vessel with connections, stimulating the growth of bone tissue and also vitamins. Again, these cells have “crop” in the form of bone and cartilage.
The study says that an unexpected potential source of skeletal stem cells also showed liposuction fat.
Scientists say that the practical application of open technology for the production of skeletal stem cells is still far away, but in the future these cells can be used to treat damaged bones and joints as well as various degenerative skeletal diseases such as osteoporosis, since these cells have exceptional regenerative potential.
“For many years there were debates about the true skeletal stem cells,” says biologist Richard Oreffo from the University of Southampton studying stem cells.
“Much more needs to be done, but this is a huge step forward,” said Oreffo.
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Scientists first identified the human bone stem cells
Nikolai Khizhnyak