Scientists uncover important embryonic stem cell pathway
16 Oct 2012
Researchers have discovered a previously unrecognised regulatory pathway at the heart of embryonic stem cell biology.
Embryonic stem (ES) cells can give rise to every cell type of the body- an ability called pluripotency.
For this reason they hold great promise as tools for drug development and regenerative medicine.
Crucially, ES cells are able to self-renew - allowing researchers to multiply them in unlimited quantities. How self-renewal is controlled has been something of a mystery.
Now researchers involving teams at the Wellcome Trust - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, and Dr Hitoshi Niwa from the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan have found that a transcription factor called Esrrb maintains pluripotency in ES cells and is connected directly to a cellular signaling pathway.
Dr Graziano Martello, who led the study, said: “These findings expand our understanding of how the behaviour of ES cells is controlled by their environment, bringing us closer to harnessing their potential for medical advances.”
To download the paper, please click on the link below.
