Effects of the in Vitro Manipulation of Stem Cells: Epigenetic Mechanisms as Mediators of Induced Metabolic Fluctuations

Abstract

The increasing popularity of stem cells in life science research has at least two major causes. On one hand, the study of stem cells may provide insights into one of the major secrets of biology: the mechanisms of cell differentiation. On the other hand, stem cells are potentially promising tools for regenerative therapy. The understanding of how environmental stimuli are translated into phenotypic differentiation through gene expression changes and how the same stimuli at the same time may perturb the normal process of cellular differentiation, growth and maintenance is a central issue for fundamental research but is also essential for the development of efficient and safe procedures for therapeutic use. This article assembles the known facts, as pieces of a puzzle, into a coherent picture around the idea of why stem cells are so sensitive to their culture environment and what practical consequences this implies.

KEYWORDS::

• cell differentiation
• epigenetic mechanism
• metabolism
• pluripotency
• stem cell
• stochastic model

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by the Agence Nationale Recherche (Stochagene grant no. BSV6 014 02) and Genethon. The author has no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Agence Nationale Recherche (Stochagene grant no. BSV6 014 02) and Genethon. The author has no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.