Release Date: 19 December 2007
Study sheds new light on role of stem cell gene
Researchers have made fresh discoveries about an important stem cell gene, called Nanog, which will further the understanding of stem cells and how they may be best used to treat disease and injury.
Stem cells can create duplicates of themselves, or develop to become any other type of specialised cell in the body, such as heart cells or liver cells.
It was previously believed that the Nanog gene operated like an on/off switch for duplication.
According to this, the presence of Nanog would lead to cell duplication and its absence would allow the cell to develop into another type of cell, such as a heart cell.
Now, scientists at the University of Edinburgh have found that Nanog operates like a dimmer switch, controlling the efficiency with which stem cells duplicate. High levels of Nanog make the cell continue duplication, whereas low levels increase the chance that the cell will specialise. However, in the absence of Nanog, stem cells can still duplicate, but inefficiently. The research is published in Nature.
The findings give scientists greater control over stem cell behaviour for use in medicine.
Using the dimmer switch will enable stem cells to be more efficiently duplicated and allow better control of development into the appropriate cells for treatment of a particular disease, such as a making a heart cell to treat heart disease.
Ian Chambers, of the University of Edinburgh?s School of Biological Sciences, said: ?Stem cells have the paradoxical abilities to duplicate themselves or become specialised. Our studies give a new understanding of this by identifying Nanog as the dimmer switch that explains the paradox."
Nanog, discovered in 2003, was recognised as having a role to play in keeping stem cells in their duplicating state, and because of this was named after Tir nan Og, the mythical Celtic land of the ever-young.
http://www.iscr.ed.ac.uk/news/press-releases-2007dec19.htm
Study sheds new light on role of stem cell gene
Researchers have made fresh discoveries about an important stem cell gene, called Nanog, which will further the understanding of stem cells and how they may be best used to treat disease and injury.
Stem cells can create duplicates of themselves, or develop to become any other type of specialised cell in the body, such as heart cells or liver cells.
It was previously believed that the Nanog gene operated like an on/off switch for duplication.
According to this, the presence of Nanog would lead to cell duplication and its absence would allow the cell to develop into another type of cell, such as a heart cell.
Now, scientists at the University of Edinburgh have found that Nanog operates like a dimmer switch, controlling the efficiency with which stem cells duplicate. High levels of Nanog make the cell continue duplication, whereas low levels increase the chance that the cell will specialise. However, in the absence of Nanog, stem cells can still duplicate, but inefficiently. The research is published in Nature.
The findings give scientists greater control over stem cell behaviour for use in medicine.
Using the dimmer switch will enable stem cells to be more efficiently duplicated and allow better control of development into the appropriate cells for treatment of a particular disease, such as a making a heart cell to treat heart disease.
Ian Chambers, of the University of Edinburgh?s School of Biological Sciences, said: ?Stem cells have the paradoxical abilities to duplicate themselves or become specialised. Our studies give a new understanding of this by identifying Nanog as the dimmer switch that explains the paradox."
Nanog, discovered in 2003, was recognised as having a role to play in keeping stem cells in their duplicating state, and because of this was named after Tir nan Og, the mythical Celtic land of the ever-young.
http://www.iscr.ed.ac.uk/news/press-releases-2007dec19.htm