Comparative Studies in Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation across Species

Dear Colleagues,

For ages, stem cell biology was mainly haematopietic stem cells (HSCs) biology. These cells were the founder cells of most cell types in mammalian blood, and HSC transplantation has already been in practice for decades. Then, in the 1980s and 1990s, embryonic stem (ES) cells became players in the stem cell field. Derived from the inner cell mass of blastocysts, these pluripotent cells were responsible for the differentiation of cells, forming endodermal, ectodermal and mesodermal cell lineages. This boosted hope for the clinical applications of these cells to replace damaged cells in diseased tissues. Ethical issues, amongst others, hampered the investigations of these cells in the field of regenerative medicine (RM), but ES-cells were instrumental to make knock-out mice, a situation that still is of crucial importance in biomedicine. The ethical limitations were suddenly overcome by the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) in August 2006 by the group of Yamanaka (Cell 2006). Overexpression of four factors (Oct4, Klf4, Sox2, and c-Myc) in differentiated skin fibroblasts resulted in cells that regained their pluripotency and, indeed, could be differentiated into cells of the three lineages. Therefore, disease-specific cell systems (for disease modeling) and autologous cell transplantation became realistic goals.

Multipotent stromal cells (MSCs) give rise to adipocyte, chondrocyte, and osteocytic cell types. At the same time, organ-specific stem cells, with even more restricted differentiation potential (e.g., bipotent liver stem cells can differentiate into hepatocytes or cholangiocytes), were discovered in numerous organs. Finally, it turned out that single stem cells from intestine, stomach, lung and liver could be cultured as 3D mini-organs, with the various cell types of specific organs, the so-called organoids.

Most of these cell types are well-described in fundamental murine models and/or from human origin. This Special Issue of Veterinary Science provides professionals in veterinary medicine with an update on the knowledge of stem cell biology in veterinary medicine, and will address the potentials and drawbacks of the rapidly evolving field of veterinary stem cell biology.

Dr. L.C. (Louis) Penning
Guest Editor

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