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Can stem cells cross lineage boundaries?

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Stem cells have traditionally been characterized as either embryonic (pluripotent) or organ-specific. Recent work suggests that the latter can "transdifferentiate" into other cell types, carrying significant implications for possible clinical use of these cells. Here the authors critically examine the existing data, and suggest standards for the evaluation of these and future studies.

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Figure 1: The totipotent zygote is formed from the sperm and egg.

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Acknowledgements

D.J.A. is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute; F.H.G. is supported by the National Institutes of Health and I.J.W. is supported by the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Howard Hughes Medical Institute California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California, USA

    David J. Anderson

  2. The Salk Institute, La Jolla, California, USA

    Fred H. Gage

  3. Stanford University Stanford, California, USA

    Irving L. Weissman

Authors
  1. David J. Anderson
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  2. Fred H. Gage
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  3. Irving L. Weissman
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Anderson, D., Gage, F. & Weissman, I. Can stem cells cross lineage boundaries?. Nat Med 7, 393–395 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/86439

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