The mouse on the left is a chimeric with dark eyes and patches of black fur, a result of stem cells derived from a choanoflagellate Sox gene. The wildtype mouse on the right has red eyes and all white fur. The colour difference is due to genetic markers used to distinguish the stem cells, not a direct effect of the gene itself. Credit: Gao Ya and Alvin Kin Shing Lee, with thanks to the Centre for Comparative Medicine Research (CCMR) for their support.
A research team from Queen Mary University of London and The University of Hong Kong has successfully made use of ancient genetic tools to generate a mouse, opposing centuries of beliefs about stem cell evolution. Scientists of the research team made use of genetic tools from choanoflagellates-that is, single-celled organisms believed to be closest to animals living.
These researchers have identified Sox and POU genes also important for pluripotency in mammalian stem cells in choanoflagellates, a group of organisms where these genes were thought to have originated. Through the expression of choanoflagellate Sox genes in mouse cells, scientists replaced the endogenous Sox2 gene to reprogram cells to a pluripotent state. These pluripotential cells were introduced to form chimeras with mouse embryos and resulted in producing chimeric mice.
This achievement not only illuminates the evolutionary origins of pluripotency but also indicates that perhaps the same genetic machinery was developed significantly earlier, even before the origin of multicellular organisms. It underlines the evolutionary “recycling” of ancient genetic tools for new biological functions.
Outside of its scope in evolution biology, the scientific study presents an exciting frontier for regenerative medicine. Ancient genetic tools can be used to conduct experiments that might eventually enhance refined cell reprogramming techniques, thus enhancing treatments for therapies applied toward diseases and tissue repair. Synthetic versions of such genes may also outperform their natural counterparts in specific medical applications according to Dr. Ralf Jauch of The University of Hong Kong.
This study represents a tremendous stride in the understanding of stem cell evolution while creating new avenues for frontier medicine.
