Embryonic stem cell lines derived from human blastocysts

JA Thomson, J Itskovitz-Eldor, SS Shapiro, MA Waknitz… - science, 1998 - science.org
JA Thomson, J Itskovitz-Eldor, SS Shapiro, MA Waknitz, JJ Swiergiel, VS Marshall, JM Jones
science, 1998science.org
Human blastocyst-derived, pluripotent cell lines are described that have normal karyotypes,
express high levels of telomerase activity, and express cell surface markers that characterize
primate embryonic stem cells but do not characterize other early lineages. After
undifferentiated proliferation in vitro for 4 to 5 months, these cells still maintained the
developmental potential to form trophoblast and derivatives of all three embryonic germ
layers, including gut epithelium (endoderm); cartilage, bone, smooth muscle, and striated …
Human blastocyst-derived, pluripotent cell lines are described that have normal karyotypes, express high levels of telomerase activity, and express cell surface markers that characterize primate embryonic stem cells but do not characterize other early lineages. After undifferentiated proliferation in vitro for 4 to 5 months, these cells still maintained the developmental potential to form trophoblast and derivatives of all three embryonic germ layers, including gut epithelium (endoderm); cartilage, bone, smooth muscle, and striated muscle (mesoderm); and neural epithelium, embryonic ganglia, and stratified squamous epithelium (ectoderm). These cell lines should be useful in human developmental biology, drug discovery, and transplantation medicine.
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