Embryo production from mouse stem cells using an innovative bioreactor
Embryo production from mouse stem cells using an innovative bioreactor
What happens in embryonic development is one of nature’s best secrets. Now, researchers have opened a new window on the process. They’ve made artificial mouse embryos from stem cells—no sperm or eggs required—and used an innovative bioreactor. The simulated embryos developed anatomy that matched the real thing and very impressive similarities at the cellular level. The feat, reported this week in Cell, may allow biologists to delve deeper into developmental mechanisms and better understand what goes wrong in birth defects.
Researchers have already reprised parts of early development with embryo mimics made from an assortment of mouse or human stem cells, including embryonic stem (ES) cells, which are derived from normal embryos and can form all of a body’s tissues. They’ve mimicked the blastocyst, the simple developmental stage that implants in the uterus, and recreated gastrulation, when embryos become multilayered. These simulated embryos hit a developmental wall, however. Their cells begin to specialize but do not coalesce into organs.
One obstacle has been keeping the ersatz embryos alive for more than a few days. Researchers unveiled a nurturing procedure that allowed them to grow standard mouse embryos outside of the mother’s body for a record 11 days. A key step involves placing the embryos in an incubator outfitted with a Ferris wheel–like device, which rotates the embryos inside bottles of liquid filled with nutrients and growth factors. The setup enables the team to precisely control growth conditions such as oxygen levels.
This is an important study as they demonstrate ES cells alone can generate whole embryo like structures containing all the early organs completely in vitro. Still, stem cell–derived embryos have an advantage over normal mouse embryos for research because the cells are available in larger numbers and scientists can more easily manipulate them.
ارسال به دوستان