Quiescent pluripotent stem cells reside within murine peripheral nerves and can be stimulated to proliferate by rhBMP2 or by nerve trauma

A novel and distinct newly discovered source of pluripotent stem cells obtainable from the peripheral nerves of mouse, rat and human that are believed to solve the most vexing problems presently hampering efforts to apply the use of use of stem cells to safe and effective clinical treatments will be described. A large population of quiescent cells within peripheral nerves which in response to nerve injury or stimulation with the cytokine BMP2, proliferate and generate populations of pluripotent stem cells has been documented. The cells express Sox2, Klf4, Oct4 and c-Myc, the four transcription factors that confer embryonic pluripotency, as verified by double stain immunohistochemistry and by real time PCR.