iPSCs Retain Genetic Memory
A study of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) where cells harvested from differentiated adult cell lines and forced to be converted into highly adaptive states (similar to that of totipotent embryonic stem cells) has found that these cells retain a portion of their previous genetic code even after being cultured to grow towards a specific cell structure. This effectively means that while scientists can develop multi-functional cells from adult differentiated cell lines that they may not be able to do so effectively in a short span of time after harvesting the cells, posting new problems and benefits at the same time to stem cell research developers.
On a positive note the partially retaining stem cells can be a boon in many areas. Retaining portions of their previously encoded DNA, these cells may more easily be adapted to fit specific purposes similar to those they originate from, meaning easier conversion from a donor to a host needing support in a specific cell structure should this be necessary. Additionally the genetic memory means that progressive structures will maintain slightly different codes from targeted formats meaning that some genetic diversity can be generated even in scientifically cloned organisms, such as that which has been observed in laboratory mice created from the same host DNA.
On the downside this reminiscent code present in harvested cells means that additional work must be done in order to develop cell lines into targeted structures to match specific needs. Should a harvested cell be modified to develop into brain, nerve or other tissue cells within the same body but not fully differentiate towards the targeted structure, for instance, any treatment that is developed but still partially coded for another cell line may fail in terms of treatment and cause additional problems for a patient – even if the treatment is not rejected outright from the body.
Thankfully for many patients and researchers alike the genetic memory found in iPSCs has also been noted to progressively becoming less and less prominent through subsequent divisions of a harvested cell culture. This means that regularly culturing the same iPSC strand through successive generations can reduce the overall impact the genetic memory will have, with the memory disappearing entirely from cell lines at approximately the 16th division. While this does unfortunately mean that some treatments relying upon iPSCs may take some time for the cultures to develop fully enough to the point where they can be used to treat patients at the same time this does not mean that iPSCs are ruled out entirely as an option.
Subscribe to the comments for this post