Unlike mammalian amputations, amputations in amphibians heal by regeneration. Msx-1 is a transcription factor that has been implicated in the maintenance of pluripotentiality of amphibian regeneration-competent skin fibroblasts. Throughout this project, the role of Msx-1 in cell fate was investigated to see if transgene-induced Msx-1 expression in adult human fibroblasts has the ability to dedifferentiate the cells and induce expression of stem cell markers. Adult fibroblasts were transfected with a CMV- Msx-1-GFP DNA construct and transgenic cells (GFP positive) were used for all experiments. Fibroblasts were examined for their proliferative capacity and expression of several stem cell genes and extracellular matrix genes using immunocytochemistry.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Mucci, Katherine Elizabeth

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-042607-083112

Advisor

• Overstrom, Eric W.

Year

• 2007

Date created

• 2007-04-26

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Biology & Biotechnology

Rights statement

• In Copyright