THE INVESTIGATION OF TELOMERE AND TELOMERASE IN HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS AND ITS PROGENIES

Abstract

HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELL (HESC) HAS BEEN SHOWING GREAT POTENTIAL IN REGENERATIVE MEDICINE DUE TO ITS UNLIMITED PROLIFERATION CAPACITY AND ABILITY OF DIFFERENTIATING INTO ALMOST ALL OTHER CELL TYPES. ONE OF THE KEY FEATURES OF HESCS IS THAT THEY EXHIBIT HIGH TELOMERASE ACTIVITY TO MAINTAIN THEIR EXTREMELY LONG AND STABLE TELOMERES. HOWEVER, ONCE HESCS DIFFERENTIATE INTO OTHER SOMATIC CELL TYPES, THEIR TELOMERASE ACTIVITY DECREASED RAPIDLY TO A MUCH LOWER LEVEL OR ABSENT, AND THEIR TELOMERE SHORTENS, TOO. AGEING-LIKE FEATURES SUCH AS DECREASING PROLIFERATION AND SENESCENCE START TO EMERGE. IN THIS STUDY, WE INVESTIGATED THE TELOMERE AND TELOMERASE CHANGE DURING DIFFERENTIATION AND LATER EXPANSION OF HESC-DERIVED CELLS (FIBROBLASTS, ENDOTHELIAL CELLS, KERATINOCYTES AND NEURONS), PROVIDED IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS OF THESE CELLS IN REGENERATIVE MEDICINE. WE ALSO FOUND BASIC FIBROBLAST GROWTH FACTOR (BFGF) COULD SIGNIFICANTLY UPREGULATE THE TELOMERASE ACTIVITY AND LE