Comparing human and mouse salivary glands: A practice guide for salivary researchers

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Abstract

Mice are a widely utilized in vivo model for translational salivary gland research but must be used with caution. Specifically, mouse salivary glands are similar in many ways to human salivary glands ( i.e., in terms of their anatomy, histology and physiology) and are both readily available and relatively easy and affordable to maintain. However, there are some significant differences between the two organisms, and by extension, the salivary glands derived from them that must be taken into account for translational studies. The current review details pertinent similarities and differences between human and mouse salivary glands and offers practical guidelines for using both for research purposes.

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Somatic cell nuclear transfer allows trans-acting factors present in the mammalian oocyte to reprogram somatic cell nuclei to an undifferentiated state. We show that four factors (OCT4, SOX2, NANOG, and LIN28) are sufficient to reprogram human somatic cells to pluripotent stem cells that exhibit the essential characteristics of embryonic stem (ES) cells. These induced pluripotent human stem cells have normal karyotypes, express telomerase activity, express cell surface markers and genes that characterize human ES cells, and maintain the developmental potential to differentiate into advanced derivatives of all three primary germ layers. Such induced pluripotent human cell lines should be useful in the production of new disease models and in drug development, as well as for applications in transplantation medicine, once technical limitations (for example, mutation through viral integration) are eliminated.

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