Do Stem Cells Look Different?
Here’s an interesting proposition—stem cells, as those used for bone marrow transplantation—change shape depending on their stage of differentiation. To determine which state a stem cell is in, researchers at Rutgers University, et al, have developed a technique called “Epi-mark Description Imaging of Cell Transitional Status” (EDICTS). Quoting directly: “The team demonstrated the method’s capabilities by measuring two types of epigenetic modifications in the nuclei of human stem cells cultured in a dish. They added chemicals that coaxed some of the cells to become fat cells and others to become bone, while another set served as control. Within three days, the localization of the modifications varied in cells destined for different fates, two to four days before traditional methods could identify such differences between the cells. The technique had the specificity to look at regional changes within individual cells, while existing techniques can only measure total levels of modifications among the entire population of cells.” MORE
Image Credit: Joseph J. Kim, Research News at Rutgers, Rutgers Today