Name: stem cell sources and therapy
Uploaded: 2023-04-30T12:09:57.000Z
Duration: 1 min 17 s
Channel: JoVE

Stem cell culture is the process of growing stem cells in vitro under optimal conditions.
Stem cells have a wide range of medical applications like tissue and organ regeneration.
Stem cell samples are usually extracted from adult&#160; or embryonic tissues.
These samples are then transferred to plastic culture dishes coated with a feeder layer consisting of inactivated mouse embryonic fibroblast cells, which provide necessary intercellular interactions and nutrients;&#160; and prevent the spontaneous differentiation of stem cells.
The culture dish is supplemented with media primarily containing growth hormones and essential nutrients. It nourishes stem cells to divide and spread over the culture dish, forming colonies.
Once grown to the required size, these colonies are removed gently and subjected to the passage, where they are further replated or subcultured multiple times to establish a pure and continuously growing cell line.
An established cell line can give rise to millions of stem cells in vitro. So, a batch of these cultured stem cells can be frozen for future use.

stem cell culture

Stem Cell Culture

Stem cell research aims to find ways to use stem cells to regenerate and repair cellular damage. Over time, most adult cells undergo the wear and tear of aging and lose their ability to divide and repair themselves. Stem cells do not display a particular morphology or function. Adult stem cells, which exist as a small subset of cells in most tissues, keep dividing and can differentiate into a number of specialized cells generally formed by that tissue. These cells enable the body to renew and repair body tissues.
The mechanisms that induce a non-differentiated cell to become a specialized cell are poorly understood. In a laboratory setting, it is possible to induce stem cells to differentiate into specialized cells by changing the physical and chemical conditions of growth. Several sources of stem cells are used experimentally and are classified according to their origin and potential for differentiation. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are extracted from embryos and are pluripotent. The adult stem cells that are present in many organs and differentiated tissues, such as bone marrow and skin, are multipotent, being limited in differentiation to the types of cells found in those tissues.
The stem cells isolated from umbilical cord blood are also multipotent, as are cells from deciduous teeth (baby teeth). Researchers have recently developed induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from mouse and human adult stem cells. These cells are genetically reprogrammed multipotent adult cells that function like embryonic stem cells; they are capable of generating cells characteristic of all three germ layers.
Because of their capacity to divide and differentiate into specialized cells, stem cells offer a potential treatment for diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Cell-based therapy refers to treatment in which stem cells induced to differentiate in a growth dish are injected into a patient to repair damaged or destroyed cells or tissues. Many obstacles must be overcome for the application of cell-based therapy. Although embryonic stem cells have a nearly unlimited range of differentiation potential, they are seen as foreign by the patient&#8217;s immune system and may trigger rejection. Also, the destruction of embryos to isolate embryonic stem cells raises considerable ethical and legal questions.
In contrast, adult stem cells isolated from a patient are not seen as foreign by the body, but they have a limited range of differentiation. Some individuals bank the cord blood or deciduous teeth of their child, storing away those sources of stem cells for future use, should their child need it. Induced pluripotent stem cells are considered a promising advance in the field because using them avoids the legal, ethical, and immunological pitfalls of embryonic stem cells.
This text is adapted from <a href="https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/3-6-cellular-differentiation">openstax Anatomy and physiology 2e, Section 3.6: Cell differentiation.</a>

Stem cell research aims to find ways to use stem cells to regenerate and repair cellular damage. Over time, most adult cells undergo the wear and tear of ...

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JoVE Core

Cell Biology

Unit 1

Stem Cell Biology And Renewal in Epithelial Tissue

stem-cell-biology-and-renewal-in-epithelial-tissue

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

stem cell sources and therapy

Stem cells can help the body replace damaged cells and repair tissues. Most adult cells lose some ability to divide and heal as they age. Stem cells are different because they do not have a fixed shape or one set job. Adult stem cells are a small group of cells in many tissues, and they keep dividing while also making specialized cells for that same tissue.

Scientists still do not fully understand how an unspecialized cell becomes a specialized one. In the lab, stem cells can be pushed to differentiate by changing the physical and chemical conditions around them. This makes stem cells useful for studying how cells develop and how cell identity changes.

Researchers work with several stem cell sources. Human embryonic stem cells, or hESCs, come from embryos and are pluripotent, which means they can form many cell types. Adult stem cells from tissues such as bone marrow and skin are multipotent, so they are limited to cell types from those tissues. Stem cells from umbilical cord blood and from deciduous teeth, or baby teeth, are also multipotent. Scientists have also made induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs, from mouse and human adult stem cells.

iPSCs are genetically reprogrammed adult cells that act like embryonic stem cells. They can produce cells from all three germ layers. Because stem cells can divide and become specialized cells, they may one day help treat diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

Cell-based therapy uses stem cells that were first differentiated in a growth dish and then injected into a patient to repair damaged or destroyed cells or tissues. This approach still faces major challenges. Embryonic stem cells can trigger immune rejection because the body may see them as foreign. Their use also raises ethical and legal questions because embryos must be destroyed to isolate them. Adult stem cells taken from a patient do not usually seem foreign to the body, but they have a narrower range of differentiation. Some families also bank cord blood or baby teeth for possible future use. iPSCs are seen as a promising option because they avoid many of the legal, ethical, and immune system problems linked to embryonic stem cells.

Stem Cell Sources and Therapy

zygotic development and stem cell formation

zygotic-development-and-stem-cell-formation

From Zygote to Blastocyst Stem Cells

Zygote development shows how a fertilized egg becomes the first stages of a new organism. When sperm and egg fuse, they form a diploid zygote. A zygote is totipotent, which means it can develop into a complete organism. The zygote then divides by cleavage to form an 8-cell mass. At this stage, the cells are still spherical, loosely attached, and totipotent. Totipotent cells can form both embryonic tissues and extraembryonic tissues. As division continues, the cells reach the 64-cell stage...

source and potency of stem cells

Stem Cell Potency and Development

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells with strong self-renewal ability. They help keep cell populations stable during fetal and adult life. They can also specialize into the cell types of the human body. Their developmental potential varies, so they are grouped into five types: totipotent, pluripotent, multipotent, oligopotent, and unipotent. The fertilized egg, or zygote, is a totipotent stem cell. It can form both embryonic tissues and extraembryonic tissues. As the zygote divides again and...

stem cell niche

How Stem Cell Niches Control Cell Fate

Stem cell niches control how stem cells stay active, rest, or begin to specialize. A niche is the local microenvironment where stem cells live. In this setting, stem cells can remain undifferentiated, renew themselves, or become lineage-specific progenitor cells. Stem cells do not work alone in a niche. They sit next to stromal cells and connect with the extracellular matrix, or ECM, the support network outside the cells. Cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix signals move through adhesion molecules...

renewal of intestinal stem cells

Intestinal Stem Cells and Gut Lining Repair

Intestinal stem cells help repair and replace the gut lining every 4 to 5 days. They sit at the base of the crypt, a gland at the bottom of each villus. From this niche, they divide asymmetrically to make one new stem cell and one progenitor daughter cell. The daughter cells are called transit-amplifying, or TA, cells. They move upward through the crypt and then mature into absorptive cells or secretory cells. The secretory group includes goblet cells, enteroendocrine cells, and Paneth cells. <br...

role of ephrin-eph signalling in intestinal stem cell renewal

role-of-ephrin-eph-signalling-in-intestinal-stem-cell-renewal

Ephrin-Eph Signalling in Gut Cell Positioning

Ephrin-Eph signalling helps intestinal cells stay in the right place as the gut lining renews itself. Eph receptors and their Ephrin ligands were first found in a human carcinoma cell line, which is how they got their names. This signalling system is also important in the immune system because it supports immune cell migration, adhesion, and activation. Eph receptors are grouped into two classes, EphA and EphB. Ephrins are also divided into two groups, EphrinA and EphrinB. EphrinA ligands...

role of notch signalling in intestinal stem cell renewal

role-of-notch-signalling-in-intestinal-stem-cell-renewal

Notch Signaling in Gut Stem Cell Fate

Notch signaling helps control how intestinal stem cells renew and decide what cell type to become. In the intestine, this pathway acts through Atoh1, also called atonal homolog 1. Atoh1 pushes cells to become secretory cells. When Notch signaling is active, it limits Atoh1 and keeps the stem cell pool balanced. This pathway depends on direct contact between neighboring cells. It begins when a Notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, which is called trans-binding. If the ligand...

renewal of skin epidermal stem cells

Epidermal Cell Turnover and Repair

The epidermis, the outer layer of skin, is constantly renewed as old cells are replaced by new ones. Skin is organized into three layers: the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis. In this process, epidermal stem cells, or EpiSCs, divide and make the cells needed to maintain the surface. Some EpiSCs keep self-renewing so the stem cell pool stays active. Others become transit-amplifying, or TA, cells. These cells later form prickle or spinous cells, then granular cells, and finally dead keratinized...

multipotency and niche of bulge stem cell

multipotency-and-niche-of-bulge-stem-cell

Hair Follicle Bulge and Stem Cell Cycles

The hair follicle bulge is the stem cell niche that helps control hair growth and renewal. A hair follicle is a small part of the skin that produces the hair shaft. Paul Gerson Unna was the first to observe the bulge in the outer root sheath, or ORS. The bulge sits between the sebaceous gland and the arrector pili muscle. It houses hair follicle stem cells, or HFSCs, and it also serves as a niche for melanocyte stem cells. When melanocyte stem cells are lost, hair can turn gray. HFSCs express...

clinical applications of epidermal stem cells

clinical-applications-of-epidermal-stem-cells

How Epidermal Stem Cells Aid Skin Repair

Epidermal stem cells help the skin repair minor injuries and replace dead skin cells. These cells are found mainly in the basal layer of the epidermis, the outer layer of skin. For severe wounds, such as major burns or skin damage linked to diabetes or inherited disorders, the body may need help beyond its own repair system. In these cases, epidermal stem cells can be grown from the patient in the lab. Skin taken from an unaffected area can be used to make cultured epidermal autografts, or...

distinctive features of adult stem cells vs cancer stem cells

distinctive-features-of-adult-stem-cells-vs-cancer-stem-cells

Adult and Cancer Stem Cell Traits

Adult stem cells and cancer stem cells share the ability to renew and make specialized cells, but they behave differently in the body. Adult stem cells are unspecialized cells that can divide as needed and, under the right conditions, become specialized cells. Cancer stem cells are a small group of cells inside tumors that also renew and differentiate. Adult stem cells are tissue-specific, which means they help build the tissue where they are found. For example, epithelial stem cells give rise...

Stem cells can help the body replace damaged cells and repair tissues. Most adult cells lose some ability to divide and heal as they age. Stem cells are different because they do not have a fixed shape or one set job. Adult stem cells are a small group of cells in many tissues, and they keep dividing while also making specialized cells for that same tissue. Scientists still do not fully understand how an unspecialized cell becomes a specialized one. In the lab, stem cells can be pushed to...

tissue renewal without stem cells

Liver and Pancreas Renewal by Cell Division

Liver and pancreas tissues can renew themselves through cell division, even when stem cells are not the main repair source. After tissue damage, some organs rely on resident stem cells to help rebuild lost cells. In the liver and pancreas, however, pre-existing cells can also take part in repair. Pancreas beta cells and liver hepatocytes are two key examples. Beta cells in the pancreas and hepatocytes in the liver can divide to replace cells and regenerate tissue. This process depends on...

unrenewable cells

Permanent Damage to Eye and Ear Cells

Permanent damage to eye and ear cells can affect vision and hearing because some sensory cells cannot be replaced. In humans, the photoreceptor cells of the eye and the sensory hair cells of the ear lack stem cells. That means these cells are unrenewable, so they cannot be replaced after they are damaged or destroyed. The retina contains specialized photoreceptors called rods and cones. These cells change membrane potential when they are stimulated by light energy. Rods and cones differ in the...

key terms and concepts

Explore stem cell sources, from adult and embryonic cells to iPSCs, and see how cell-based therapy may help repair damaged tissues.

Stem Cell Sources and Therapy | JoVE K12

cell biology

JoVE Core Cell Biology illustrates complex cellular processes in easy-to-understand yet comprehensive animated video lessons. This collection focuses on the essential components and functions of cells, including organelles and membranes, cellular transport, and cell energetics. It is complemented by scientist-in-action videos that demonstrate the application of cell biology in real-world research experiments.

Stem Cell Sources and Therapy

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