Research lead
Researchers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Stem Cell Research at Cambridge University have pinpointed the final step in the process that gives embryonic stem cells the ability to develop into any of the different types of cells in the body. The finding has have relevance to efforts to harness the power of stem cells for medical applications.
Researcher Jose Silva says, “Exactly how pluripotency comes about is a mystery. If we want to create efficient, safe and reliable ways of generating these cells for medical applications, we need to understand the process; our research provides additional clues as to how it occurs. ”
The researchers studied how the nanog protein confers pluripotency. Although nanog was identified as a key player in pluripotency in 2003,its exact biological role remained unclear until now.
The research shows nanog flicks the last switch in a multi-step process that gives cells the property of pluripotency. Without nanog, cells remain in a halfway house. As a result, the embryo cannot develop and attempts to reprogramme adult cells fail.
Nanog does not work alone; rather it orchestrates a range of genes and proteins that must all be activated at the right time and in harmony to drive pluripotency. As the next stage of their work the researchers will study how nanog exerts its influence.
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