Adult stem cells shown to develop into all brain cell types

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have provided evidence for the first time that stem cells derived from adult bone marrow and injected into the blastocyst of a mouse can differentiate into all major types of cells found in the brain.

Adult stem cells were injected into a mouse blastocyst, an early embryonic stage of a mouse. The result is the birth of a chimerical animal an animal that shows the presence of both the cells from the host mouse as well as cells that have developed from the transplanted stem cells. Within the brain, the transplanted stem cells developed into nerve cells that typically conduct electrical impulses, glial cells that provide support to the nerve cells, and myelin-forming cells that enhance the conduction of electrical impulses by nerve cells.

"This research takes our findings a step further," said principal investigator Walter C. Low.

Researchers looked at the specific phenotypes of the cells in the brain and found stem cell produced nerve cells in regions of the brain that undergo degeneration with Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, Huntington's disease, ataxia, and Alzheimer's disease.

"This tells us that these adult stem cells are capable of becoming nerve cells that communicate with other nerve cells within the brain and form proper neural circuits that permit the chimerical mice to function normally," said co-investigator Catherine Verfaillie.

"The next step is to test what happens when the adult stem cells are used to treat mice and rats with neurological disorders," said lead author Dirk Keene.

Researchers expect answers to that question within the year.