Nuclear Reprogramming in Cells
J. B. Gurdon1 and
D. A. Melton2
Nuclear reprogramming describes a switch in gene expression
of one kind of cell to that of another unrelated cell type.
Early studies in frog cloning provided some of the first experimental
evidence for reprogramming. Subsequent procedures included mammalian
somatic cell nuclear transfer, cell fusion, induction of pluripotency
by ectopic gene expression, and direct reprogramming. Through
these methods it becomes possible to derive one kind of specialized
cell (such as a brain cell) from another, more accessible, tissue
(such as skin) in the same individual. This has potential applications
for cell replacement without the immunosuppression treatments
that are required when cells are transferred between genetically
different individuals. This article provides some background
to this field, a discussion of mechanisms and efficiency, and
comments on prospects for future nuclear reprogramming research.
2 Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard/Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
