STAP cells generated an entire mouse fetus.HARUKO OBOKATA
Editor's note: Following a misconduct scandal, both STAP papers have been retracted by the authors.
Current approaches for turning differentiated adult cells back into a stem–cell-like state involve messing with the nucleus in one way or another—either swapping out nuclear contents, a process called nuclear transfer, or inducing the expression of pluripotency genes. In two papers published in Nature today (January 29), researchers have developed an entirely different technique, this one based on exposure to environmental stimuli, including mechanical stress or a low pH.
“It’s pretty unexpected,” said stem-cell biologist Rudolph Jaenisch of the Whitehead Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who was not involved in the research. “There’s no genetic manipulation, just some culture conditions, stress, to induce these changes. I think that’s quite remarkable.”
Researchers ...
