In embryonic stem cells, genes link pluripotency and ease of self-destruction
Gene networks in human embryonic stem cells maintain pluripotency and keep programmed cell death on a hair trigger. Discovery suggests faulty stem cells have built-in mechanism to ensure that they are destroyed before they can compromise the functioning of future cells and tissues. Details of the work appeared October 28 in the journal Genes and Development. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts used an integrated genome-scale loss- and gain-of-function screening approach. When genes known to control pluripotency were deleted, the hESCs surprisingly increased their resistance to death.
These interrelated behaviors were especially evident in a stem cell regulator known as the SAGA complex. The SAGA complex plays a central role in the formation and function of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Its absence from hESCs inhibited the development of all three germ layers. Many of the genes that regulate hESC formation are known contributors to the growth of cancers.
ارسال به دوستان