Researchers have discovered a type of pigment cell in zebrafish that can transform into another cell type even after having fully undergone development. The findings, which have been published in PNAS, could have important implications for the field of regenerative medicine.
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The discovery came about when a researcher at the University of Virginia noticed some black pigment cells in zebrafish became gray and eventually white. This particular cell population appears to undergo changes to shed the pigment melanin and make white pigments instead, changing the edges of the zebrafish’s fins from black to white as an apparent signal to other zebrafish. Further investigation revealed that the cells had undergone dramatic changes in gene expression and pigment chemistry.
This came as a surprise as such changes are normally thought to require experimental intervention to turn the cell back to a stem-cell state before it can differentiate to something else. These findings suggest that some developed cells may more easily undergo such changes than previously believed.
According to the authors, the ability of these cells to differentiate in this way makes them a good model for understanding how cells differentiate, and potentially explore how this mechanism can be harnessed to make cells differentiate into something new in vivo. In regenerative medicine, this could potentially be used to make replacement tissues of various cells.
Image: University of Virginia researchers have discovered cells in zebrafish that are able to change into another cell type, in this case from those that produce the pigment melanin to cells that do not. Image courtesy of UVA.