A small synthetic purine, reversine, increase cell plasticity of differentiated cells and of adult stem cells

Stem cells have received an increasing attention by the scientific community for their potential applications in regenerative medicine. In recent years, a new approach has surfaced, which is the possibility of re-programming somatic cells (adult cells) into stem-cell-like progenitors. In fact, a growing body of evidence suggests that lineage-restricted somatic cells are capable of gaining increased plasticity, comparable to that of stem cells. Along this line, a synthetic purine, reversine, has been shown to increase cell plasticity of differentiated cells, including murine myoblasts and human dermal fibroblasts (1, 2). Moreover, initial results seem to point out that reversine may also increase cell plasticity of adult stem cells, that often can be induced to differentiate into the desired cell types with yields that are too low to be practical for their therapeutic use. Herein we show that reversine treatment improves the differentiation capability of dermal fibroblasts, mesoangioblasts, and mesenchymal stem cells. [1] Anastasia L., Sampaolesi M, et al. Cell Death Differ. 2006, 12, 2042-51. [2] Fania, C, Anastasia L, et al. Electrophoresis. 2009 Jun;30(12):2193-206.