This article was recently published in PLOS. This is a great scientific publishing medium that doesn't charge anyone a cent to read their stuff, unlike Science and Nature and the others that hoard their publications at the expense of humanity.
Anyway, the article points out that a boy being treated with stem cells for a rare genetic condition developed tumors of the brain and spinal cord.
These results should come as no surprise for readers of this blog. The cells injected into the nerve tissues were allografts--they were obtained from a source other than the patients own tissues. These clearly will not be at home in another person's body and they will begin to express embryonic Cell Recognition Factors in the hope that they could establish communication.
As we have learned here, a cell must know exactly where it is. Such communication must exist. If it does not, it would mean that A) any manner of invader could easily make its home in another multicellular organism, or B) any tissue of the body could establish a colony at a different tissue or organ. We would have, for instance, lung tissue setting up shop in the brain. Of course, there are mechanisms that prevent many of these migrations (immune surveillance, self-destruct mechanisms) but even with a relatively healthy immune system, a cell that has begun to express different CRF's may escape detection using, unwittingly, the escape mechanisms used by many parasites.
The factors that cause this re-programming of the genome include mutations caused by chemicals or radiation, chronic chemical exposure that alter CRF's, and retroviruses that alter CRF expression.
Please see the first blog entry for a more thorough explanation.
Anyway, the article points out that a boy being treated with stem cells for a rare genetic condition developed tumors of the brain and spinal cord.
These results should come as no surprise for readers of this blog. The cells injected into the nerve tissues were allografts--they were obtained from a source other than the patients own tissues. These clearly will not be at home in another person's body and they will begin to express embryonic Cell Recognition Factors in the hope that they could establish communication.
As we have learned here, a cell must know exactly where it is. Such communication must exist. If it does not, it would mean that A) any manner of invader could easily make its home in another multicellular organism, or B) any tissue of the body could establish a colony at a different tissue or organ. We would have, for instance, lung tissue setting up shop in the brain. Of course, there are mechanisms that prevent many of these migrations (immune surveillance, self-destruct mechanisms) but even with a relatively healthy immune system, a cell that has begun to express different CRF's may escape detection using, unwittingly, the escape mechanisms used by many parasites.
The factors that cause this re-programming of the genome include mutations caused by chemicals or radiation, chronic chemical exposure that alter CRF's, and retroviruses that alter CRF expression.
Please see the first blog entry for a more thorough explanation.
Comments