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(UKPA) ? 1 day ago
A discovery about the behaviour of cells in the intestine could help efforts to treat bowel cancer, a charity has said.
Cancer Research UK scientists found that gut stem cells replace themselves in a completely different way from previously held theories.
It was thought stem cells in the gut replaced each other according to a predetermined, hierarchical system which meant only a handful of stem cells were able to produce the many different types of stem cells in that part of the body.
But new research, published online in Science, showed that in fact there was one overall stem cell population with no hierarchy, with neighbouring cells replacing lost cells in a "one in, one out" process.
Lead researcher Dr Doug Winton likened the original theory to chess, with different pieces having different powers from the Queen down to pawns. In contrast, the process identified by the team was more like a game of draughts with equal pieces moving forward and either being successful or not.
The team marked individual cells in mice and studied how they changed and what happened when they proliferated into clones. The researchers concluded that as stem cells were lost, neighbouring cells multiplied to replace them, meaning that each stem cell had an equal chance of producing other cells in the gut.
The authors said they hoped the results, which were analysed using statistical physics and population dynamics, would offer fresh insight into the flexibility of the intestinal wall and enhance understanding of cell behaviour and cancer.
The gut wall continually divides, regrows and regenerates thanks to the fact it is supported by a group of stem cells. In healthy people, stem cells usually multiply to maintain the lining of the gut - but in the case of cancer, faults occur which means stem cells divide too much and cause a tumour to form.
Dr Winton, from Cancer Research UK's Cambridge Research Institute, said: "We've shown for the first time how the population of stem cells is maintained in the gut and essentially it is a random process with no predetermined fate for the stem cells.
"This research is a great example of collaborative research - we've brought together biologists and physicists to answer questions about how stem cells divide - and it's through these type of collaborations we hope to answer more questions about stem cells and their links to cancer."
Copyright ? 2010 The Press Association. All rights reserved.
(UKPA) ? 1 day ago
A discovery about the behaviour of cells in the intestine could help efforts to treat bowel cancer, a charity has said.
Cancer Research UK scientists found that gut stem cells replace themselves in a completely different way from previously held theories.
It was thought stem cells in the gut replaced each other according to a predetermined, hierarchical system which meant only a handful of stem cells were able to produce the many different types of stem cells in that part of the body.
But new research, published online in Science, showed that in fact there was one overall stem cell population with no hierarchy, with neighbouring cells replacing lost cells in a "one in, one out" process.
Lead researcher Dr Doug Winton likened the original theory to chess, with different pieces having different powers from the Queen down to pawns. In contrast, the process identified by the team was more like a game of draughts with equal pieces moving forward and either being successful or not.
The team marked individual cells in mice and studied how they changed and what happened when they proliferated into clones. The researchers concluded that as stem cells were lost, neighbouring cells multiplied to replace them, meaning that each stem cell had an equal chance of producing other cells in the gut.
The authors said they hoped the results, which were analysed using statistical physics and population dynamics, would offer fresh insight into the flexibility of the intestinal wall and enhance understanding of cell behaviour and cancer.
The gut wall continually divides, regrows and regenerates thanks to the fact it is supported by a group of stem cells. In healthy people, stem cells usually multiply to maintain the lining of the gut - but in the case of cancer, faults occur which means stem cells divide too much and cause a tumour to form.
Dr Winton, from Cancer Research UK's Cambridge Research Institute, said: "We've shown for the first time how the population of stem cells is maintained in the gut and essentially it is a random process with no predetermined fate for the stem cells.
"This research is a great example of collaborative research - we've brought together biologists and physicists to answer questions about how stem cells divide - and it's through these type of collaborations we hope to answer more questions about stem cells and their links to cancer."
Copyright ? 2010 The Press Association. All rights reserved.