A protein known as Sp2 is key to the proper creation of
neurons from stem cells, according to researchers at North Carolina State
University. Understanding how this protein works could enable scientists to
“program” stem cells for regeneration, which has implications for neural
therapies.
Troy Ghashghaei and Jon Horowitz, both faculty in NC State’s
Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences and researchers in the Center for
Comparative Medicine and Translational Research, wanted to know more about the
function of Sp2, a cell cycle regulator that helps control how cells divide.
Previous research from Horowitz had shown that too much Sp2 in skin-producing
stem cells resulted in tumors in experimental mice. Excessive amounts of Sp2
prevented the stem cells from creating normal cell “offspring,” or skin cells.
Instead, the stem cells just kept producing more stem cells, which led to tumor
formation.