In the 60s of the 20th century, the concept of "stem cells" was first proposed in animal embryology research, which refers to cells with the ability and potential for self-renewal and replication. Due to their potential for biomedical applications such as organ regeneration and cancer, stem cells have gained great attention as soon as they are proposed.At the same time, plant stem cells are also quietly emerging, but they have not attracted as much attention as animal stem cells. The reason for this is that people don't notice the huge potential behind it. Why plants can survive in the extremely arid desert. How towering trees overcome gravity and transport water hundreds of meters into the air. Behind the survival wisdom of plants, the escort of plant stem cells is indispensable.
Plant stem cells are one of the most important types of plant cells. Cells are the smallest unit of plant structure, roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds are the six major organs of plants, which are composed of different cells, and they work together to maintain the normal life of plants. Cells from these different tissues and organs can be differentiated from primitive undifferentiated stem cells.
True plant stem cells refer to the traditional anatomical meristems and cells, including apical meristems, shoot apical meristems, lateral meristems and some myeloid cells. These cells are vigorous and can differentiate into all other cell types, while also having very high genetic stability.
In layman's terms, plant stem cells can be continuously developed, and when the cells of other tissues or organs of the plant are damaged, plant stem cells can be differentiated into other types of cells for corresponding supplementation. This plays a very important role in the normal operation of the plant organism, and is also the most important foundation and guarantee for the cycle of life in plants.
It is precisely because plant stem cells have always existed in the process of plant life that such a miraculous life form has been created
The oldest tree that has been discovered so far is a foxtail pine called Methuselah. It was discovered in 1953 by botanist Edmund Shulman in the Inyo National Forest in eastern California, USA, and as of 2024, Methuselah is 4,854 years old. It is a representative of longevity in the plant kingdom.
The answer is plant stem cells (CMCs).
Scientists have found that these are related to the plant stem cells (CMCs) contained in plants. CMC contains all the genetic information of plant development and growth, has a very amazing cell ** and differentiation ability, and in the process, it continuously releases compounds (collectively known as phytochemicals, which will be introduced separately later), which allows plants to continue to grow for hundreds of years, or even thousands of years, and still bloom and bear fruit every year, so CMC is also known as the root of plant vitality. Of course, scientists are also keenly observing that the special role played by stem cells based on plant cambium means that they have broader prospects in the development and application of plant resources. After the scientific community discovered the role of undifferentiated stem cells in plants, it is of great significance for human beings to further develop plant resources.
Many scientists are working to further unravel the secrets of plant stem cells, but how to successfully isolate plant stem cells? For 170 years, scientific research institutions and scientists in many countries around the world have been trying to isolate the miraculous primitive undifferentiated stem cells from plants for research and development applications, but have not succeeded. The isolated plant cambium stem cells either die soon after isolation or are in a state of differentiation. There has never been any real success in isolating plant stem cells from the mother plant.
It was not until 2004 that a research team led by Dr. Chen Rongyu, a Korean scientist, achieved the world's first isolation of living cambium stem cells from plant cambium and culture. In 2010, it was published in Nature Biotechnology in the form of a cover **, which was recognized by the world: the first successful acquisition of real stem cells of plants - primitive undifferentiated plant cambium stem cells.
The plant stem cells (CMC) isolated by Dr. Chen's team are the first stem cells in the cambium meristematic tissue, and the cells here have the following characteristics:
From plant meristems.
Has congenitally undifferentiated features.
It has stable cells** and differentiation ability
The success of plant cambium stem cell technology and the cultivation and application of real CMC cells have opened a new era of in-depth development and application of plant resources. It provides revolutionary technology for plant intelligence and platform application and development! Plant cambium stem cell technology will also contribute to human health and high-quality life by leveraging its unique strengths in the acquisition of natural plant active ingredients and new natural raw materials for food, medicine, and cosmetics.
Grace Life Science will continue to bring you more in-depth scientific demonstrations about plant cambium stem cell technology and applications. Take everyone to appreciate and witness the magical development of plant intelligence!