Personal pathways to embryonic stem cells

Area of Science:

• Developmental Biology
• Stem Cell Research
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Research into embryo stem cells in vitro commenced in 1963 using rabbit embryos.
• Early work focused on disaggregated blastomeres and whole-embryo cultures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To derive and characterize long-lasting, stable embryo stem cell lines.
• To assess the embryological potency and differentiation capacity of these stem cells.
• To explore the potential of embryo stem cells in therapeutic applications.

Main Methods:

• Culturing disaggregated blastomeres and inner cell masses from rabbit embryos.
• Injecting inner cell masses into mouse blastocysts to assess chimaera formation.
• Growing mouse and rat stem cells from blastocysts and post-implantation embryos.
• Evaluating stem cell colonization of bone marrow in irradiated mice and mice with anemia.

Main Results:

• Established immortal, stable embryo stem cell lines from rabbit inner cell mass and embryonic disc.
• Demonstrated differentiation into various cell types and successful chimaera formation in mice.
• Showed successful bone marrow and spleen colonization by mouse and rat stem cells in vivo.
• Observed weak colonization in non-irradiated recipients without signs of inflammation or cancer.

Conclusions:

• Rabbit embryo stem cells possess multipotency and can contribute to various tissues.
• Embryo stem cell technology has implications for cell lineage studies and transgenesis.
• Stem cells derived from early embryos show potential for bone marrow reconstitution and therapeutic applications.