We have found a novel type of pluripotent stem cells, Multilineage-differentiating stress enduring (Muse) cells that can be isolated from mesenchymal cell populations. Muse cells are characterized by stress tolerance, expression of pluripotency markers, self-renewal, and the ability to differentiate into endodermal-, mesodermal-, and ectodermal-lineage cells from a single cell, demonstrating that they are pluripotent stem cells. They can be isolated as cells positive for stage-specific embryonic antigen-3, a human pluripotent stem cell marker. Here, we introduce the isolation method for Muse cells and the effect of transplantation of these cells on chronic liver diseases.
