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Stem cells on road to specialization

Date:
January 7, 2014
Source:
University of Copenhagen
Summary:
Scientists have gained new insight into how both early embryonic cells and embryonic stem cells are directed into becoming specialized cell types, like pancreatic and liver cells.
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Scientists at the University of Copenhagen have gained new insight into how both early embryonic cells and embryonic stem cells are directed into becoming specialized cell types, like pancreatic and liver cells. The results have just been published in the scientific journal eLife.

This latest research from the Danish Stem Cell Center (Danstem) at the University of Copenhagen, helps identify how stem cells create so called pathways and roads supporting their own specialization. This understanding is an important step towards stem cell-based cell therapies for conditions like diabetes and liver diseases.

"The new insight that we have gained into the impact of the physical environment on cell development is highly valuable," says Professor Joshua Brickman from DanStem, "It enables us to create the optimal physical environment in the laboratory for stem cells and progenitor cells to develop into specific, mature cells."

Developing cells constantly move and while moving around, they organize and build a physical environment very much like a small city with pathways and roads. The new research published in the scientific journal eLife shows two important things. Firstly the embryonic cells receive signals from other cells that actually instruct them in how to organize and build the road leading the cells towards early stages of pancreas and liver cells.

Professor Brickman and his team also found that they could isolate these roads from the developing stem cells and literally freeze them. The saved roads were then used in a separate experiment which showed that in the absence of an important cell signal, the road alone can be used to improve the cells' development and differentiation towards mature cells.

"Apart from gaining new important insight into cell development, our work also suggests that some of the current approaches to human embryonic stem cells specialization towards both pancreatic and liver cells may not have been effective, because the important role of these roads, the so called extra-cellular matrix, was ignored," says Joshua Brickman.


Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Copenhagen. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. S. N. Villegas, M. Rothova, M. E. Barrios-Llerena, M. Pulina, A.-K. Hadjantonakis, T. Le Bihan, S. Astrof, J. M. Brickman. PI3K/Akt1 signalling specifies foregut precursors by generating regionalized extra-cellular matrix. eLife, 2013; 2 (0): e00806 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.00806

Cite This Page:

University of Copenhagen. "Stem cells on road to specialization." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 January 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140107102646.htm>.
University of Copenhagen. (2014, January 7). Stem cells on road to specialization. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140107102646.htm
University of Copenhagen. "Stem cells on road to specialization." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140107102646.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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