In a paper published by the prestigious journal, Nature
Methods, biologists at the Universities of Eastern Finland, Tampere and
Luxembourg, Tampere University of Technology and the Institute for Systems
Biology in Seattle, USA, have created the biggest family tree of human cell
types.
Cells are the basic unit of a living organism. The human
body consists of a vast array of highly specialized cells, such as blood cells,
skin cells and neurons. In total more than 250 different cell types exist. How
are the different types related to each other? Which factors are unique for
each cell type? And what in the end determines the development of a certain
cell?
To answer these questions, the research team designed a
computer-based method that uses already existing biological data from research
groups all over the world and analyses them in an entirely new way. This led to
the identifications of unique factors for 166 different human cell types. These
factor, or master regulators, determine the development and distinguish
different cell types from each other. With this information they could map the
relationship between the cell types in a family tree. These outcomes may serve
as basis for the development of cell replacement therapies.