Stolzing Alexandra, Hescheler Jürgen, Sethe Sebastian
Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Deutscher Platz 53, Leipzig, Germany.
Rejuvenation Res. 2007 Dec;10(4):571-86. doi: 10.1089/rej.2007.0570.
Harnessing cellular fusion as a potential tool for regenerative therapy has been under tentative investigation for decades. A look back the history of fusion experiments in gerontology reveals that whereas some studies indicate that aging-related changes are conserved in fused cells, others have demonstrated that fusion can be used as a tool to revoke cellular senescence and induce tissue regeneration. Recent findings about the role of fusion processes in tissue homeostasis, replenishment, and repair link insights from fusion studies of previous decades with modern developments in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. We suggest that age-associated loss of regenerative capacity is associated with a decline of effectiveness in stem cell fusion. We project how studies into the fusion of stem cells with tissue cells, or the fusion between activator stem cells and patient cells might help in the development of applications that "rejuvenate" certain target cells, thereby strategically reinstating a regeneration cascade. The outlook is concluded with a discussion of the next research milestones and the potential hazards of fusion therapies.
几十年来，利用细胞融合作为再生治疗的潜在工具一直处于初步研究阶段。回顾老年学中融合实验的历史可以发现，虽然一些研究表明与衰老相关的变化在融合细胞中是保守的，但另一些研究则表明融合可以用作消除细胞衰老和诱导组织再生的工具。最近关于融合过程在组织稳态、补充和修复中的作用的发现，将前几十年融合研究的见解与干细胞生物学和再生医学的现代发展联系起来。我们认为，与年龄相关的再生能力丧失与干细胞融合效率的下降有关。我们预测，对干细胞与组织细胞融合，或激活干细胞与患者细胞之间融合的研究，可能有助于开发使某些靶细胞“年轻化”的应用，从而从战略上恢复再生级联反应。展望部分通过讨论下一个研究里程碑和融合疗法的潜在危害来结束。
