Researchers from China and the United States have introduced human stem cells into primates embryos and have grown chimeric embryos within 20 days – the maximum allowed period for conducting such experiments. Despite the ethical issues, the results of scientific work published in the Cell magazine will better learn about the biology of development and the evolution of primates, as well as develop new methods of therapy of congenital defects.
In the course of the experiment, the embryos of monkeys six days after fertilization were administered 25 human stem cells. Cells were pluripotent, that is, they could form both embryonic and extraordinary fabrics (placenta, gustling bag and others). After a day, the cells were taken over 132 embryos, but 103 chimeric embryo remained on the 10th day, and only three embryos remained alive by the 19th day. At the same time, the percentage of human cells remained high throughout the growth time.
It is known that human and animal chimeras are fast dying, and human stem cells are weakly leaving. Therefore, scientists decided to check whether such barriers to the chimer of organisms will arise, closely from the point of view of evolution. They analyzed the transcript – a set of all transcripts (matrix and non-corrective RNAs) – in cells of chimeric embryos and identified molecular paths that were new or reinforced. According to researchers, if you improve these paths, you can increase the survival rate of the chimer in organisms that are more far from each other.
In a longer-term perspective, scientists hope to use chimeras not only to study the early development of man and modeling diseases, but also to develop new approaches to medication screening, as well as to create potentially transplanted cells, tissues or organs.