Centre for Genetics and Genomics, University of Nottingham, UK.
EMBO J. 2012 Jun 13;31(12):2747-9. doi: 10.1038/emboj.2012.131. Epub 2012 May 4.
Stem cells, both adult and germline, are the key cells underpinning animal evolution. Yet, surprisingly little is known about the evolution of their shared key feature: pluripotency. Now using genome-wide expression profiling of pluripotent planarian adult stem cells (pASCs), Önal et al (2012) present evidence for deep molecular conservation of pluripotency. They characterise the expression profile of pASCs and identify conserved expression profiles and functions for genes required for mammalian pluripotency. Their analyses suggest that molecular pluripotency mechanisms may be conserved, and tantalisingly that pluripotency in germ stem cells (GSCs) and somatic stem cells (SSCs) may have had shared common evolutionary origins.
干细胞，无论是成体干细胞还是生殖系干细胞，都是动物进化的关键细胞。然而，人们对它们共同的关键特征——多能性的进化却知之甚少。现在，Önal 等人（2012 年）利用多能性扁形虫成体干细胞（pASC）的全基因组表达谱分析，提供了多能性深度分子保守性的证据。他们描述了 pASC 的表达谱，并鉴定了哺乳动物多能性所需基因的保守表达谱和功能。他们的分析表明，分子多能性机制可能是保守的，而且令人兴奋的是，生殖干细胞（GSCs）和体干细胞（SSCs）的多能性可能具有共同的进化起源。
