Preventing GVHD by protecting gut stem cells
- Date:
- January 31, 2011
- Source:
- Rockefeller University Press
- Summary:
- A protein that protects stem cells in the gut relieves a potentially lethal complication of bone marrow transplantation in mice, according to a new study.
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A protein that protects stem cells in the gut relieves a potentially lethal complication of bone marrow transplantation in mice, according to a study published online on January 31 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
Bone marrow transplantation can cure diseases such as leukemia but it can also lead to a potentially fatal complication known as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).
A group led by Takanori Teshima at Kyushu University in Japan found that mice treated with a protein called R-spondin1 developed less severe GVHD after bone marrow transplantation. R-spondin worked by protecting intestinal stem cells, which help to regenerate damaged tissues and thus dampen inflammation.
Whether R-spondin1 is therapeutic for human bone marrow transplant patients remains to be explored.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Rockefeller University Press. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
- S. Takashima, M. Kadowaki, K. Aoyama, M. Koyama, T. Oshima, K. Tomizuka, K. Akashi, T. Teshima. The Wnt agonist R-spondin1 regulates systemic graft-versus-host disease by protecting intestinal stem cells. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 2011; 208 (2): 285 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20101559
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