Showing papers by "Elizabeth D. Hay published in 1968"
01 Jan 1968
TL;DR: Experimental evidence has accumulated in recent years suggesting that somatic plant cells and animal nuclei can in some cases revert to embryonic morphology and regain total developmental capacity even though they were fully differentiated.
Abstract: “Is it necessary in a theory of differentiation to assume that the differentiated state is irreversible?” In our present era, the answer to this question seemingly is “no”. Studies of genetic control mechanisms in bacteria make it reasonable to believe that most of the nuclear DNA is in the form of operons and regulatory genes which can be directly or indirectly influenced by the intracellular and extracellular environment. Stable patterns of gene activity responding to reversible feedback controls could be established without deletion of any part of the genetic apparatus (Jacob and Monod 1961). Thus, we have theoretical reasons for a negative answer to the qestion. Moreover, experimental evidence has accumulated in recent years suggesting that somatic plant cells (Braun, this volume) and animal nuclei (Gurdon 1964) can in some cases revert to embryonic morphology and regain total developmental capacity even though they were fully differentiated.
71 citations