STEM CELLS

Characters
The stem cells are unspecialized cells that have two characters: 1. They have the character of self-renewal i.e. they are capable to renew themselves for long periods through mitotic cell division. 2. Under certain conditions (signals), they can differentiate to cells of specific functions (plasticity). The signals that trigger the stem cells to differentiate may be inside or outside the cells. The internal signals are controlled by genes. The external signals include chemicals secreted by other cells, or physical contact with neighboring cells or molecules. Differentiation of stem cells may be of different potentials, and the stem cells are classified according to the differentiation potential into: Totipotent stem cells They can differentiate into all embryonic cell types. They include the cells of the inner cell mass of the blastocyst. Pluripotent stem cells They are descendants of totipotent stem cells and can differentiate to all cells derived from any of the three germ layers. Multipotent stem cells They can differentiate into a umber of different cells but all of closely related family e.g. hematopoeitic stem cells differentiate into red blood cells, white blood cells and blood platelets. Oligopotent stem cells They can differentiate only into a few cells as the lymphoid and myeloid stem cells. Unipotent stem cells They produce only their own cell type, but they have the property of self renewal which distinguishes them from the non-stem cells, e.g. muscle stem cells. The mammalian stem cells include the embryonic and the adult stem cells.

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Embryonic stem cells

Source: They are obtained from embryos (inner cell mass of blastocyst) created for infertility purposes through IVF, and were no longer needed for that purpose. They are grown in suitable cultures then subcultures. After six months or more, the original 30 cells of the inner cell mass of the blastocyst yield millions of embryonic stem cells. Batches of these cells are frozen and shipped to other laboratories for further experiments. Differentiation: As long as the embryonic stem cells are grown under certain conditions, they can remain undifferentiated. However, if the cells are allowed to clump together to form embryoid bodies, they begin to differentiate spontaneously. They can form muscle cells, nerve cells and many other cell types. Directed differentiation of embryonic cells to produce certain cell types (e.g. insulin-secreting cells, dopamine secreting cells, muscle producing cells ..) was successfully performed by scientists by: Changing the chemical composition of the culture medium. Altering the surface of the culture dish. Inserting specific genes. Cell-based therapy (Regenerative or Reparative medicine): Transplanting cells generated by specific differentiation of human embryonic stem cells are now directed to treat many diseases including: Parkinsons disease through transplanting dopamine-secreting cells. Diabetes mellitus through transplanting insulin-secreting cells. c. Ischemic heart diseases through transplanting cardiac muscle-producing cells. Traumatic spinal cord injury. Purkinje cell degeneration. Duchenes muscular dystrophy. Vision and hearing loss. Alzheimer disease

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Adult stem cells

Source: The adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells found in small numbers among differentiated cells in some tissues and organs e.g. bone marrow, brain, peripheral blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscles, skin, liver and the epithelial lining of the digestive tract. It is thought that the adult stem cells reside in a specific area of each tissue e.g. in the basal layer of the epidermis of the skin, at the bases of the hair follicles and in the deep crypts of the epithelial lining of the digestive tract. They remain quiescent and nondividing in their areas of residence for many years until they are activated by a disease or tissue injury when they give rise to cell types of the tissues in which they reside. This maintains and repairs the tissue in which they are found. Differentiation: In addition to the small number of the adult stem cells in a tissue and the little methods of increasing their number in a culture, their differentiation potential is much less than the embryonic stem cells. Scientists in many laboratories are now trying to find ways to grow adult stem cells in cell cultures, and then manipulate them to generate specific cell types to treat certain diseases. Although pleuripotent stem cells are rare and generally small in number, yet highly plastic adult stem cells are found in the umbilical cord blood and the bone marrow and they are now routinely used in medical therapies. Cell-based therapy (Regenerative or Reparative medicine): Transplanting cells generated by specific differentiation of human adult stem cells are now directed to treat many diseases including: a. Leukemia and related blood cancers through bone marrow transplantation. b. Parkinsons disease through transplanting dopaminesecreting cells. c. Diabetes mellitus through transplanting insulin-secreting cells. d. Ischemic heart diseases through transplanting cardiac muscle-producing cells. e. Traumatic spinal cord injury. f. Purkinje cell degeneration. g. Duchenes muscular dystrophy.
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Vision and hearing loss. Alzheimer disease

Comparison between the embryonic and adult stem cells regarding their role in cell-based regenerative therapies Embryonic stem cells Adult stem cells

They can differentiate to all cell They have a limited power of types (high potential of differentiation (low potential of differentiation or high plasticity) differentiation or low plasticity). However the adult cells in the umbilical cord blood and in the bone marrow are highly plastic. They can be easily grown in culture. Except in the bone marrow and umbilical cord blood, the adult stem cells are rare in mature tissues with little methods for increasing their number so large number of cells are needed for stem cell replacement therapy Embryonic stem cells from a donor Patient own cells treated in special introduced into a patient can cause cultures then reintroduced into the transplant rejection. patient are not rejected by the immune system. To obtain embryonic stem cells, an The use of adult stem cells in embryo is destroyed, so their use is research and therapy is not as controversial. controversial as the embryonic stem cells.