RESUMEN
There have been major recent advances in the field of developmental biology due to the investigation on stem cells (SC). Stem cells are characterized by their capacity of auto-renewal and differentiation to different cellular phenotypes. Based on the developmental stage, they can be classified into two different types: embryonic SCs and adult SCs. It has been widely reported that several problems need to be resolved before their possible clinical applications. As a result, fetal membranes have been suggested as an alternative source of SCs. In the human amniotic epithelium, the presence of markers of pluripotent SC´s has been reported, and its capacity as a feeder layer for expansion of different SC types. Also, fetal membranes are a discarded product after delivery, and thus there are not any ethical issues related to its use. In conclusion, the human amniotic epithelium can be a strong candidate for regenerative medicine.
Asunto(s)
Amnios/citología , Células Epiteliales/citología , Células Madre/citología , Diferenciación Celular , Membranas Extraembrionarias/citología , Humanos , Medicina Regenerativa/métodosRESUMEN
Los microRNA son RNA pequeños no codificantes que regulan la traducción de RNA mensajeros. En el tejido cerebral de mamífero, existe una regulación temporal de los niveles de estas moléculas durante el desarrollo, los cuales están relacionados directamente con momentos específicos en la formación del sistema nervioso central y tienen un papel trascendental en la citoarquitectura cerebral. Existe una gran cantidad de deficiencias y/o alteraciones de las funciones cerebrales que no pueden ser explicadas por causas genéticas o detectadas por los métodos convencionales, por lo que es de gran importancia identificar marcadores moleculares no invasivos de problemas sutiles relacionados con alteraciones en la diferenciación, proliferación, muerte celular u organización del tejido nervioso que puedan tener consecuencias negativas en la vida postnatal del producto, principalmente en el área cognitiva, motora y social. Una alternativa es la búsqueda y determinación de los niveles de microRNA involucrados en la corticogénesis fetal en suero materno. Aquí revisaremos algunas de las características de estas moléculas que las hacen buenas candidatas para ser consideradas como biomarcadores del desarrollo cerebral fetal, entre las que se encuentran la forma en que se sintetizan y llegan al torrente sanguíneo, su estabilidad, su patrón de expresión durante la corticogénesis y su presencia en el suero materno.
MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that regulate the translation of messenger RNA into proteins. During the development of the mammalian brain tissue, there is a temporal regulation of the levels of these molecules, which are directly related to specific stages in the formation of the central nervous system; microRNAs play a major role in brain cytoarchitecture. There are multiple alterations in brain function that cannot be explained by genetic causes or detected by conventional methods; for this reason, it is very important to identify molecules that can be proposed as biomarkers in a noninvasive way for pathologies related to alterations upon cell differentiation, proliferation and death or brain tissue organization that may have negative consequences in postnatal life and that can potentially lead to cognitive, motor and social deficits. An alternative is determining the microRNA levels involved in fetal corticogenesis in the maternal serum. In this article, we review some characteristics of these molecules that make them candidates to be proposed as biomarkers of fetal brain development, such as the pathway throught which they are synthesized and released into the bloodstream, their stability, their expression pattern during corticogenesis and their presence in the maternal serum.
