Cell competition during reprogramming gives rise to dominant clones

TLDR

Reprogramming specialized cells into pluripotent stem cells is a Nobel‑prize‑winning discovery, yet the dynamics of this process remain poorly understood, particularly the role of neural‑crest‑derived skin cells that normally migrate into diverse tissues. The authors combined experimental and mathematical approaches to demonstrate that skin cells compete during reprogramming, eliminating each other as the population progresses toward the stem cell state. Shakiba et al., Science, this issue p.

Abstract

Domination in the stem cell world A Nobel Prize–winning discovery showed that specialized cells can be genetically reprogrammed into stem cells, thus gaining the ability to become any cell type in the body. But what happens during reprogramming is not completely understood. Shakiba et al. used experimental and mathematical approaches to show that skin cells compete during reprogramming, eliminating one another as the population progresses toward the stem cell state (see the Perspective by Wolff and Purvis). The “winners” are a special class of skin cells originating from the neural crest. Cells of this type normally emerge during embryonic development and migrate into various tissues, including the skin, muscle, and nervous system. Science , this issue p. eaan0925 ; see also p. 330