Cell plasticity is a central issue in stem cell biology. Differentiated somatic nuclei have the flexibility to dedifferentiate when transferred into oocytes or when fused to pluripotent embryonic stem cells. Recent publications also claim that somatic stem cells can convert into developmentally unrelated cell types both in vivo and ex vivo without such drastic cell manipulations. Some of these claims are still controversial, making it difficult for us to determine the reality of somatic stem cell plasticity. Indeed, we have heard enough about the "potentials" of cell plasticity; how much do we know about mechanisms? A fundamental issue in current stem cell biology is to understand the mechanisms underlying cell plasticity. In this short review, we overview three research fields related to cell plasticity: nuclear transfer, transdifferentiation, and cell fusion, with an emphasis on studies of molecular mechanisms underlying cell plasticity.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02983528 | DOI Listing |
Mol Neurodegener
January 2025
College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Brain Disease and Big Data Research Institute, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, Guangdong, China.
Background: Astrocytes, the most abundant glial cell type in the brain, will convert into the reactive state in response to proteotoxic stress such as tau accumulation, a characteristic feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies. The formation of reactive astrocytes is partially attributed to the disruption of autophagy lysosomal signaling, and inhibiting of some histone deacetylases (HDACs) has been demonstrated to reduce the molecular and functional characteristics of reactive astrocytes. However, the precise role of autophagy lysosomal signaling in astrocytes that regulates tau pathology remains unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Autoimmun
January 2025
Department of Dermatology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310009, China. Electronic address:
Regulatory T cell (Treg) play a pivotal role in immune regulation and maintaining host immune homeostasis. Treg heterogeneity, characterized by diverse gene expression profiles and functional states, is complex in both health and disease. Research reveals that Tregs are not a uniform population but exhibit diversity based on their origin, location, and functional status.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Sci (Weinh)
January 2025
Institute for Regenerative Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Cardiology and Medical Innovation Center, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200123, P. R. China.
Human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs) have shown excellent efficacy in clinical research and have prospective applications in the treatment of many diseases. However, the properties of the hAECs and their proliferative mechanisms remain unclear. Here, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is performed on hAECs obtained from amniotic tissues at different gestational ages and passages during in vitro culture.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater
January 2025
Chongqing Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and Biomedical Sciences, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
In dental implant surgery, infection is identified as the primary factor contributing to the failure of bone grafts. There is an urgent need to develop bone graft materials possessing antibacterial characteristics to facilitate bone regeneration. Magnesium phosphate bone cement (MPC) is highly desirable for bone regeneration due to its favorable biocompatibility, plasticity, and osteogenic capabilities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Physiol Cell Physiol
January 2025
School of Health and Exercise Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Okanagan,BC V1V 1V7, Canada.
People with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have a greater risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's disease, in later life. Exogenous ketone supplements containing the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate (β-OHB) may be a strategy to protect the brain as β-OHB can support cerebral metabolism and promote neuronal plasticity via expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Parallel human (ClinicalTrials.
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