Cells such as embryonic stem cells and other pluripotent cells divide very quickly and become all types of cells in the body. For years, scientists have wanted to identify the signals that cause stem cells to stop pluripotency and adopt their final functional state.
Scientist from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign identified the main regulator of this process. They found that a molecule called BEND3 interferes with the expression of several differentiation-related genes, maintaining a stem cell-like state.
BEND3 regulation causes cells to adopt their final form and function. Once they differentiate, they usually stop actively reproducing.
In previous studies, BEND3 was an important factor in cell cycle regulation. When BEND3 is bound to the critical region along chromosomeIt reduces or hinders the expression of many traits. BEND3 Rebound Removal gene expression.
In this new study, scientists found that several genes repressed by BEND3 promote cell differentiation.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Cell and Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Department Chair Supriya Prasanth He saidAnd “BEND3 binds to these genes inhibiting their expression, which prevents cells from entering a differentiated state. When you remove this control, the cells now move down the differentiation pathway.”
“BEND3 is not the only regulator of cellular differentiation pathways; it is linked to and interacts with many other molecular regulators of this process. But its presence or absence appears to be important in determining cell fate, making it an attractive target for potential medical intervention when the process fails.”
The scientists published their study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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