Baltimore,
MD— The ability of embryonic stem cells to differentiate into different types
of cells with different functions is regulated and maintained by a complex series
of chemical interactions, which are not well understood. Learning more about
this process could prove useful for stem cell-based therapies down the road.
New research from a team led by Carnegie’s Yixian Zheng zeroes in on the
process by which stem cells maintain their proper undifferentiated state. Their
results are published in Cell October 26.
Embryonic
stem cells go through a process called self-renewal, wherein they undergo
multiple cycles of division while not differentiating into any other type of
cells. This process is dependent on three protein networks, which guide both
self-renewal and eventual differentiation. But the integration of these three
networks has remained a mystery.
journal
reference (summary free): Cell >>