Un estudio español sobre células madre premiado por Nature/A Spanish study on stem cells awarded by Nature

Some of the authors of the study

La revista Nature Medicine escoge una investigación dirigida por el investigador español Manuel Serrano como la más importante del año en el campo de las células madre. El estudio demuestra por primera vez que los organismos vivos presentan grados insospechadamente altos de plasticidad celular. El número incluye ocho categorías, entre las que se encuentran, además de las células madre, la inmunología, las enfermedades cardiovasculares o las neurociencias.
La investigación laureada, encabezada por María Abad y dirigida por Manuel Serrano, director del programa de Oncología Molecular del Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO), se publicó el pasado mes de septiembre en la revista Nature.
El hito del trabajo consistió en demostrar que las células de múltiples tejidos como intestino, estómago, riñón o páncreas son susceptibles de ser reconvertidas en células madre embrionarias. Para lograrlo, los investigadores usaron la misma técnica desarrollada por el científico Shinya Yamanaka, premio Nobel de Medicina 2012, para obtener células madre embrionarias in vitro.
“El poder aplicar esta técnica directamente en tejidos de organismos vivos fue una sorpresa dado que se pensaba que las condiciones in vivo no permitirían este grado de plasticidad celular”, afirma Serrano.
La revista Nature Medicine destaca que “el significado del trabajo va más allá de la generación de ratones con tejidos reprogramables” y añade que “las células madre creadas in vivo alcanzan un estado similar a la totipotencia, superior al obtenido anteriormente en placas de cultivo”.
En este contexto, las células obtenidas en el laboratorio de Serrano fueron capaces incluso de formar estructuras pseudoembrionarias y tejidos extraembionarios. Los investigadores recalcan que las aplicaciones del trabajo puedes estar lejos, pero reconocen que pueden cambiar el rumbo de la investigación con células madre y sus aplicaciones en medicina regenerativa e ingeniería tisular.
“La reprogramación in vivo lograda este año puede acercar los protocolos dirigidos hacia la reprogramación tisular controlada”, concluye la revista en su mención al trabajo del CNIO.

One of the figures of the paper

The Nature Medicine journal has chosen a research led by the Spanish researcher Manuel Serrano as the most important study of the year in the field of stem cells. The study shows for the first time that living organisms exhibit unexpectedly high degree of cellular plasticity. The issue includes eight categories, among which are immunology, cardiovascular disease and neuroscience, in addition to stem cells
The award-winning research, led by Maria Abad and directed by Manuel Serrano, director of the Molecular Oncology Program form the National Center for Oncological Research (CNIO), was published last September in the journal Nature.
The landmark of the paper was to demonstrate that cells of different tissues such as intestine, stomach, kidney or pancreas are likely to be converted into embryonic stem cells. The researchers have used the technique developed by Shinya Yamanaka, 2012 Nobel Prize for Medicine, to obtain embryonic stem cells in vitro.
"The application of this technique directly in tissues of living organisms was a surprise, because it was thought that in vivo conditions would not allow this degree of cell plasticity," says Serrano.
Nature Medicine notes that "the meaning of the study goes beyond the generation of mice with reprogrammable tissue" and adds that "stem cells created in vivo, reach a state similar to totipotency, superior to that obtained previously in culture dishes" .
In this context, the cells obtained in the Serrano's laboratory were even able to form pseudoembrionary structures and extraembionary tissues. The researchers emphasize that the applications of the study can be away, but recognize that they can change the course of research on stem cells and their applications in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. The journal concludes in its references to the study of the CNIO "the in vivo reprogramming achieved this year, may bring nearer the protocols for tissue reprogramming".

Tomado de /Taken from SINC Noticias

Resumen de la publicación/Abstract of the paper
Reprogramming in vivo produces teratomas and iPS cells with totipotency features
María Abad, Lluc Mosteiro, Cristina Pantoja, Marta Cañamero, Teresa Rayon, Inmaculada Ors, Osvaldo Graña, Diego Megías, Orlando Domínguez, Dolores Martínez, Miguel Manzanares, Sagrario Ortega & Manuel Serrano
Nature 502,340–345 (17 October 2013)doi:10.1038/nature12586
Abstract
Reprogramming of adult cells to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) has opened new therapeutic opportunities; however, little is known about the possibility of in vivo reprogramming within tissues. Here we show that transitory induction of the four factors Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc in mice results in teratomas emerging from multiple organs, implying that full reprogramming can occur in vivo. Analyses of the stomach, intestine, pancreas and kidney reveal groups of dedifferentiated cells that express the pluripotency marker NANOG, indicative of in situ reprogramming. By bone marrow transplantation, we demonstrate that haematopoietic cells can also be reprogrammed in vivo. Notably, reprogrammable mice present circulating iPS cells in the blood and, at the transcriptome level, these in vivo generated iPS cells are closer to embryonic stem cells (ES cells) than standard in vitro generated iPS cells. Moreover, in vivo iPS cells efficiently contribute to the trophectoderm lineage, suggesting that they achieve a more plastic or primitive state than ES cells. Finally, intraperitoneal injection of in vivo iPS cells generates embryo-like structures that express embryonic and extraembryonic markers. We conclude that reprogramming in vivo is feasible and confers totipotency features absent in standard iPS or ES cells. These discoveries could be relevant for future applications of reprogramming in regenerative medicine.