Induced pluripotent stem cells from adult testis: a new source of stem cells?

摘要

Owing to the ethical problems involved in obtaining human embryonic stem (hES) cells, there is great interest in using adult stem cells as a source for cell-based therapies. Recent studies have demonstrated that diverse adult tissue cells can be actively induced to regain pluripotency as so-called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by adding certain genes, always with the aid of viruses in human cells [1-6]. There is also a growing body of evidence suggesting that this extraordinary potential is also naturally conferred to male germ cells from the time of their formation during embryogenesis and that it persists into adulthood.