Hornsby Peter J, Chen Meizhen, Hawks Christina L, Huang Qin, Sun Beicheng, Wang Lishan, Thomas Michael
Department of Physiology and Sam and Ann Barshop Center for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health Science Center, 15355 Lambda Drive STCBM 2.200, San Antonio, TX 78245, USA.
Mech Ageing Dev. 2003 Jan;124(1):79-84. doi: 10.1016/s0047-6374(02)00172-0.
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.
细胞移植为研究可能在人类组织衰老中起重要作用的基因提供了一种方法。对人类细胞中基因作用的研究通常局限于细胞培养研究和临床观察。人类和啮齿动物细胞生物学的差异，特别是在端粒动态方面的差异，表明需要新的系统来研究衰老，该系统使用人类细胞或其他大型长寿哺乳动物的细胞，如牛细胞。我们所描述的系统使用人类和牛的肾上腺皮质细胞移植到scid（严重联合免疫缺陷）小鼠体内。它们形成一种血管化的组织结构，可以替代动物自身肾上腺的基本功能。在将细胞引入动物体内之前，可以对其进行基因改造。通过使用hTERT（端粒酶逆转录酶）和癌蛋白，我们展示了在通过细胞移植创建的转基因组织中研究基因作用的潜力。
