For the first time, researchers have shown that an essential
biological process known as protein synthesis can be studied in adult stem
cells – something scientists have long struggled to accomplish. The
groundbreaking findings from the Children’s Medical Center Research Institute
at UT Southwestern (CRI) also demonstrate that the precise amount of protein
produced by blood-forming stem cells is crucial to their function.
The discovery, published online today in Nature, measures
protein production, a process known as translation, and shows that protein
synthesis is not only fundamental to how stem cells are regulated, but also is
critical to their regenerative potential.