idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Nachrichten, Termine, Experten

Grafik: idw-Logo
Science Video Project
idw-Abo

idw-News App:

AppStore

Google Play Store



Instanz:
Teilen: 
18.08.2016 18:00

Neural Stem Cells Control their own Fate

Olivia Poisson Kommunikation & Marketing
Universität Basel

    To date, it has been assumed that the differentiation of stem cells depends on the environment they are embedded in. A research group at the University of Basel now describes for the first time a mechanism by which hippocampal neural stem cells regulate their own cell fate via the protein Drosha. The journal Cell Stem Cell has published their results.

    Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have the potential to differentiate into many cell types. However, the cell types that somatic stem cells produce are usually restricted to those of the organ in which they sit. The current view proposes that stem cell differentiation is controlled by their local environment, the so-called niche. Thus, stem cells receive and interpret specific factors present in their niche that guide their differentiation into specific and restricted cell types.

    In the adult brain, the hippocampus is responsible for specific forms of memory – a brain region that is also affected in diseases such as dementia, depression and epilepsy. The functions of the hippocampus are based on different cell types, some of which are generated throughout life by neural stem cells. Neural stem cells are generally accepted to produce three different cell types: neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. However, the adult hippocampus does not produce oligodendrocytes – the reason for this was so far not known.

    Intrinsic cell mechanism

    Researchers from the Department of Biomedicine at the University of Basel have now found that the fate of adult hippocampal stem cells is not only controlled by their local niche, but also by a cell-intrinsic mechanism. Their study describes the central role of the enzyme Drosha in this mechanism. Drosha degrades the messenger RNA for NFIB in the adult hippocampal stem cells and prevents the expression of this transcription factor which is necessary for the differentiation of oligodendrocytes and thus blocks their development and therefore biases differentiation towards neurons.

    The team lead by Prof. Verdon Taylor was able to demonstrate for the first time a cell-intrinsic mechanism regulating stem cell fate. «Our research results about the function of Drosha challenge the way we used to think about how stem cell fate is controlled», says cell biologist Taylor. His research group now wants to study if and how stem cells are able to modulate the activity of Drosha in order to satisfy demand.

    Original source

    Chiara Rolando, Andrea Erni, Alice Grison, Robert Beattie, Anna Engler, Paul J. Gokhale, Marta Milo,Thomas Wegleiter, Sebastian Jessberger, and Verdon Taylor
    Multipotency of Adult Hippocampal NSCs In Vivo Is Restricted by Drosha/NFIB
    Cell Stem Cell (2016) | DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2016.07.003

    Further information

    Verdon Taylor, University of Basel, Department of Biomedicine, phone: +41 61 207 30 91, email: verdon.taylor@unibas.ch


    Weitere Informationen:

    https://www.unibas.ch/en/News-Events/News/Uni-Research/Neural-Stem-Cells-Control...


    Bilder

    Neural stem cells in the adult mouse hippocampus. Green: the stem cells and their progeny express protein. Magenta: the hippocampal stem cells generate newborn neurons. Blue: mature granule neurons.
    Neural stem cells in the adult mouse hippocampus. Green: the stem cells and their progeny express pr ...
    Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel
    None


    Merkmale dieser Pressemitteilung:
    Journalisten, Wissenschaftler
    Biologie
    überregional
    Forschungsergebnisse, Wissenschaftliche Publikationen
    Englisch


     

    Neural stem cells in the adult mouse hippocampus. Green: the stem cells and their progeny express protein. Magenta: the hippocampal stem cells generate newborn neurons. Blue: mature granule neurons.


    Zum Download

    x

    Hilfe

    Die Suche / Erweiterte Suche im idw-Archiv
    Verknüpfungen

    Sie können Suchbegriffe mit und, oder und / oder nicht verknüpfen, z. B. Philo nicht logie.

    Klammern

    Verknüpfungen können Sie mit Klammern voneinander trennen, z. B. (Philo nicht logie) oder (Psycho und logie).

    Wortgruppen

    Zusammenhängende Worte werden als Wortgruppe gesucht, wenn Sie sie in Anführungsstriche setzen, z. B. „Bundesrepublik Deutschland“.

    Auswahlkriterien

    Die Erweiterte Suche können Sie auch nutzen, ohne Suchbegriffe einzugeben. Sie orientiert sich dann an den Kriterien, die Sie ausgewählt haben (z. B. nach dem Land oder dem Sachgebiet).

    Haben Sie in einer Kategorie kein Kriterium ausgewählt, wird die gesamte Kategorie durchsucht (z.B. alle Sachgebiete oder alle Länder).