"Milk" pluripotent cells
Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco, working under the guidance of Professor Thea D. Tlsty, have isolated pluripotent cells from breast tissue that can transform into many types of body cells, including cells of the heart, intestines, brain, pancreas and cartilage tissue.
The cells analyzed in the study, called endogenous pluripotent somatic cells (ePS cells), were isolated from the tissue of healthy mammary glands of women of different ages and ethnicity who underwent breast reduction surgery. All the tissue fragments used in the work had no visible signs of diseases. They were crushed to obtain a suspension of individual cells, from which the studied population was extracted using specific markers.
When placed in certain conditions (both in vitro and in vivo), even single ePS cells demonstrate the ability to self-renew and differentiate, not inferior to the ability of embryonic stem cells. They are able to give rise to cells of all three embryonic sprouts: endoderm (including pancreas and digestive tract), mesoderm (bone and cartilage tissue, heart muscle and blood vessels) and ectoderm (breast tissue and nervous system).
The photo, located in the middle in the upper row, shows a colony of endogenous pluripotent somatic cells capable of differentiating into cells of many tissues, including cartilage cells (top left), pancreatic ducts (top right), breast ducts (bottom left), goblet-shaped intestinal cells (bottom middle) and bones (bottom right).
Spontaneously contracting cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells),
derived from endogenous pluripotent somatic cells,
isolated from the breast tissue of an adult woman.
However, unlike embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells, ePS cells are not capable of infinite division (mortal) and are genetically stable. This significantly reduces the likelihood of malignant degeneration and indicates their potential value for regenerative medicine.
Despite mortality, ePS cells have a huge proliferative potential. One such cell is capable of maintaining viability for almost 60 doubling of the cell population and giving rise to more than a billion daughter cells. This is theoretically enough to repair the damage caused by injury or illness.
Currently, the authors are searching for similar rare cells in other organs. They suggest that such "universal repair kits" should be hidden in different parts of the body of adult men and women.
Article by Somdutta Roy et al. Rare somatic cells from human breast tissue exhibit extensive lineage plasticity is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of California, San Francisco:
New Type of Pluripotent Cell Discovered In Adult Breast Tissue.
06.03.2013