Understanding exactly how stem cells form into specific
organs and tissues is the holy grail of regenerative medicine. Now a UC Santa
Barbara researcher has added to that body of knowledge by determining how stem
cells produce different types of "daughter" cells in Drosophila
(fruit flies). The findings appear today in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Science.
Denise Montell, Duggan Professor of Molecular, Cellular and
Developmental Biology at UCSB, and colleagues studied the ovaries of fruit
flies in order to see stem cells in their natural environment.