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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Derivation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Immunosurgery
Published on: December 13, 2007
Adult stem cells: the real root into the embryo?
G Zummo1, F Bucchieri, F Cappello
1Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Anatomy, University of Palermo, Italy. gzummo@unipa.it
Abstract:
During embryonic development, a pool of cells may become a reserve of undifferentiated cells, the embryo-stolen adult stem cells (ESASC). ESASC may be responsible for adult tissue homeostasis, as well as disease development. Transdifferentiation is a sort of reprogramming of ESASC from one germ layer-derived tissue towards another. Transdifferentiation has been described to take place from mesoderm to ectodermal- or endodermal-derived tissues and viceversa but not from ectodermal- to endodermal-derived tissues. We hypothesise that two different populations of ESASC could exist, the first ecto/mesoblast-committed and the second endo/mesoblast-committed. If confirmed, this hypothesis could lead to new studies on the molecular mechanisms of cell differentiation and to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of a number of diseases.
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