Using cell transplantation to investigate genes involved in aging

Cell transplantation provides a way to study genes that may be important in human tissue aging. Studies on gene action in human cells are usually restricted to cell culture investigations and clinical observations. Differences in human and rodent cellular biology, particularly with respect to telome...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mechanisms of ageing and development 2003, Vol.124 (1), p.79-84
Main Authors: Hornsby, Peter J, Chen, Meizhen, Hawks, Christina L, Huang, Qin, Sun, Beicheng, Wang, Lishan, Thomas, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adrenal cortex
Adrenal Cortex - cytology
Adrenal Cortex - physiology
Adrenal Cortex - transplantation
Ageing, cell death
Aging - genetics
Aging - physiology
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Cattle
Cell physiology
Cell Transplantation
Cellular senescence
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Hydrocortisone - biosynthesis
Immortalization
Mice
Mice, SCID
Models, Biological
Molecular and cellular biology
Telomeres
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Summary:Cell transplantation provides a way to study genes that may be important in human tissue aging. Studies on gene action in human cells are usually restricted to cell culture investigations and clinical observations. Differences in human and rodent cellular biology, particularly with respect to telomere dynamics, show the need for new systems for investigating aging that use human cells or cells of other large, long-lived mammals, such as bovine cells. The system we describe uses human and bovine adrenocortical cells transplanted into scid (severe combined immunodeficiency) mice. They form a vascularized tissue structure that can replace the essential functions of the animals' own adrenal glands. The cells may be genetically modified before introduction into the animal. Using hTERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase) and oncoproteins, we show the potential for investigating gene action in genetically modified tissues created by cell transplantation.
ISSN:0047-6374
1872-6216
DOI:10.1016/S0047-6374(02)00172-0