Byrnes W Malcolm
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, Howard University, 520 W Street, NW, Washington, DC 20059, USA.
Stem Cell Rev. 2007 Jan;3(1):60-5. doi: 10.1007/s12015-007-0014-6.
First put forth in June 2005, the altered nuclear transfer-oocyte assisted reprogramming (ANT-OAR) proposal has been promoted as an ethically-acceptable alternative to the embryo-destructive methods now used to obtain embryonic stem cells. According to its proponents, the goal of ANT-OAR is to use the cloning process to create a pluripotent stem cell. This would be achieved through overexpression of the transcription factor Nanog (or a hypothetical substitute) both in the enucleated egg cell and in the somatic cell prior to transfer of its nucleus. Although the ethical acceptability of ANT-OAR has been publicly debated, its scientific feasibility has not. This paper aims to help rectify this situation. It argues that ANT-OAR, as currently conceived, cannot realistically work. It presents evidence from the scientific literature showing that Nanog cannot single-handedly establish pluripotency in cells, but rather works together with a network of other transcription factors to maintain pluripotency. It argues that ANT-OAR is based on a flawed understanding of stem cell biology, and emphasizes that, in this debate about embryonic stem cells, scientists must strive to accurately and realistically assess the feasibility of the embryo research strategies they propose.
经改变的核移植-卵母细胞辅助重编程（ANT-OAR）提议于2005年6月首次提出，被视作一种伦理上可接受的替代方法，以取代目前用于获取胚胎干细胞的胚胎破坏方法。其支持者称，ANT-OAR的目标是利用克隆过程创造一种多能干细胞。这将通过在去核卵细胞和即将移植细胞核的体细胞中均过度表达转录因子Nanog（或一种假设的替代物）来实现。尽管ANT-OAR在伦理上的可接受性已引发公开辩论，但其科学可行性却未得到讨论。本文旨在帮助纠正这种情况。文章认为，就目前的设想而言，ANT-OAR实际上无法奏效。它引用了科学文献中的证据，表明Nanog无法单独在细胞中建立多能性，而是与其他转录因子网络共同作用以维持多能性。文章指出，ANT-OAR基于对干细胞生物学的错误理解，并强调，在这场关于胚胎干细胞的辩论中，科学家们必须努力准确、现实地评估他们所提出的胚胎研究策略的可行性。
