Inducing cell replication in resting cells, useful for producing cells for e.g. toxicology testing, by transient expression of immortalizing gene

摘要

Inducing cell replication, in any human or animal cell type that no longer divides or has very limited replicative capacity in vitro, by temporally limited expression of an exogenous immortalizing (proliferation-inducing) gene (I) that has been introduced into the cell, or by injecting a proliferation-inducing protein (II), is new. Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) preparing cells (A) with an extended life span, by performing the novel method; (2) preparing immortalized liver cells (A'), derived from hepatocytes, by sequential or simultaneous transfer, and permanent expression, of nucleic acid sequences and/or genes that influence the cell cycle; and (3) (A') prepared from primary hepatocytes by the method of (2).