Patapoutian A, Wold B J, Wagner R A
Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125, USA.
Science. 1995 Dec 15;270(5243):1818-21. doi: 10.1126/science.270.5243.1818.
Transdifferentiation is a relatively rare phenomenon in which cells of one differentiated type and function switch to a second discrete identity. In vertebrate embryos, smooth muscle and skeletal muscle are distinct tissues that arise from separate compartments of the mesoderm. The musculature of the mouse esophagus was found to undergo a conversion from smooth muscle in the fetus to skeletal muscle during early postnatal development. The switch from smooth to skeletal muscle features the transitory appearance of individual cells expressing a mixed phenotype, which suggests that this conversion is a result of programmed transdifferentiation.
转分化是一种相对罕见的现象，即具有一种分化类型和功能的细胞转变为另一种不同的特性。在脊椎动物胚胎中，平滑肌和骨骼肌是从中胚层的不同区域产生的不同组织。研究发现，小鼠食管的肌肉组织在出生后早期发育过程中会经历从胎儿期的平滑肌向骨骼肌的转变。从平滑肌到骨骼肌的转变以表达混合表型的单个细胞的短暂出现为特征，这表明这种转变是程序性转分化的结果。
