New embryonic stem cells ratted out
A first in rats may prove useful in efforts to isolate pluripotent cells from other mammals
Scientists have finally succeeded in deriving embryonic stem cells from rats, providing the research community with a new tool for modeling human disease. The method used may prove to be a general recipe to create stem cells from many different animals, the researchers say. The findings appear in two companion papers in the Dec. 26 Cell.
Embryonic stem cells are lauded for their unique ability to develop into every kind of cell. Given the right signals, a stem cell in its undifferentiated state could turn into any cell in an organism, potentially growing into tissue for a heart, a gut or skin.
Scientists first isolated these shape-shifting cells from mice decades ago, creating an extremely useful model for studying many biological processes. But, notes study coauthor Qi-Long Ying, some human diseases, including high blood pressure, diabetes and Parkinson’s, are more closely approximated in rats. Isolating and maintaining generations of stem cells from rats, or any animal other than mice, however, has proven difficult.