Researchers at UC, Los Angeles succeeded in inducing skin cells to become pluripotent cells with genetic featured very much like embryonic stem cells. They verified work published during the completion of their project, which showed that the introduction of four specific genetic factors is sufficient to induce differentiated adult cells into reverting to an embryonic stem cell-like state. This was critical validation of a procedure that could lead to a new way of developing personalized cell lines for therapy.
Researchers at UC, Irvine used mouse embryonic stem cells to demonstrate that a specific mutation can cause cardiomyopathy, with a thickened heart wall, in the mouse. The team looked at the small DNA molecule located outside of the nucleus, so-called mitochondrial DNA, which we all inherit exclusively from our mothers. They also discovered that severe mutations in this mitochondrial DNA are readily eliminated from the mouse germ line in just four generations. They expect the method they used to become a robust research tool to study the impact of mutations on stem cells.