Induction of pluripotency in fibroblasts through the expression of only four nuclear proteins.

Pluripotent cell lines have the potential to provide an unlimited supply of cells to therapeutically replace those damaged by various diseases. Understanding the nature of the pluripotency of these cells could result in more controlled methods for their propagation and differentiation and could help work around the politically based policy restrictions currently dogging the field. A recent paper describes how it is possible to generate pluripotent cell lines from differentiated adult murine fibroblast cells. Establishing a similar method for human cells would offer tissues for transplantation that elicit no rejection response and would provide an embryo-independent and patient-specific source of therapeutic cells that would quell ethical and political issues.