Turning blood into brain: cells bearing neuronal antigens generated in vivo from bone marrow

E Mezey, KJ Chandross, G Harta, RA Maki… - Science, 2000 - science.org
E Mezey, KJ Chandross, G Harta, RA Maki, SR McKercher
Science, 2000science.org
Bone marrow stem cells give rise to a variety of hematopoietic lineages and repopulate the
blood throughout adult life. We show that, in a strain of mice incapable of developing cells of
the myeloid and lymphoid lineages, transplanted adult bone marrow cells migrated into the
brain and differentiated into cells that expressed neuron-specific antigens. These findings
raise the possibility that bone marrow–derived cells may provide an alternative source of
neurons in patients with neurodegenerative diseases or central nervous system injury.
Bone marrow stem cells give rise to a variety of hematopoietic lineages and repopulate the blood throughout adult life. We show that, in a strain of mice incapable of developing cells of the myeloid and lymphoid lineages, transplanted adult bone marrow cells migrated into the brain and differentiated into cells that expressed neuron-specific antigens. These findings raise the possibility that bone marrow–derived cells may provide an alternative source of neurons in patients with neurodegenerative diseases or central nervous system injury.
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