Omics in stem cell therapy: The road ahead

초록

Understanding self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells at molecular levels is essential for both basic research and clinical applications of stem cells. The complexity of stem cell fate is controlled by the sophisticated mechanisms of temporal and spatial gene expression and protein function. Thus, the capacity to control a gene's expression, build cellular reporters that reflect the activity state of lineage-specific endogenous genes, and either create or repair disease alleles is essential for realizing the potential of stem cell technology. In this chapter, we introduce zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) as a tool to efficiently and selectively manipulate a given gene at the endogenous locus for advancing both our understanding as well as therapeutic application of stem cell biology. Proteins too are key players in the cell and often serve as biomarkers. They have diverse features that are not predictable from gene sequences or from the level of transcripts. Major breakthroughs in stem cell research were made by the identification of protein biomarkers such as colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) and cell-surface CD molecules. Recently, the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) and Asia Oceanic HUPO (AOHUPO) launched initiatives for systematic MS-based proteomics as well as a gene coded proteomic approach to understanding stem cell differentiation. These studies will shed new light on stem cell biology and accelerate clinical applications of stem cells. © 2012 Springer Science + Bussines Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

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