Question

Scientists can reprogram skin cells to act like stem cells. What is the technique they use? Please explain about the technique.

Answer 1

The skin cells are somatic cells which have been in the quiescent stage of the cell cycle and lost its differentiation property. Scientists have identified certain factors which change the somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells and thus the skin cells can be changed into stem cells. The factors that they use are called as Yamanaka factors that reprogram the somatic skin cells to be induced into pluripotent stem cells. This technique was first reported by Yamanaka and colleagues and hence the name. Some of the Yamanaka factors are Oct-4, Sox2, c-myc, etc.,.

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