Bone marrow stromal cells are generally known as the source of skeletal tissue. Dezawa et al. have now shown how to efficiently direct the bone marrow stromal cells of humans and rats toward muscle cell fate. The defined cell culture conditions include modifying the cells to express a portion of the signaling molecule Notch. The treated cells fuse to form myotubes in culture and can be incorporated into the muscles of dystrophic mice and into the degenerated muscles of rats.
M. Dezawa, H. Ishikawa, Y. Itokazu, T. Yoshihara, M. Hoshino, S. Takeda, C. Ide, Y. Nabeshima, Bone marrow stromal cells generate muscle cells and repair muscle degeneration. Science 309, 314-317 (2005). [Abstract] [Full Text]
