( h proliferative and differentiative. Mo...)Scientists unlock mystery of embryonic stem cell signaling pathway

h proliferative and differentiative. More specifically, IQ-1 blocks the coactivator p300 from interacting with the protein ß-catenin; this prevents the stem cells from being ‘told?to differentiate into a more specific cell type. At the same time, IQ-1 enhances the interaction between the coactivator CBP and ß-catenin, which signals the cells to keep dividing and to remain as fully potent stem cells. “This way, you can essentially maintain the stem cell’s growth and potency for as long as you want,?Kahn says. The studies of IQ-1 and its effects reported in the newly published PNAS paper were performed at the University of Washington in Seattle by Kahn and his colleagues (along with collaborators from the Asahi Kasei Corporation in Shizuoka, Japan) using mouse embryonic stem cells, but Kahn notes that subsequent pilot studies using human embryonic stem cells, in collaboration with Dr. Qilong Ying at the Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, have confirmed that IQ-1 plays a similar role in that system as well.

“If we can create a totally chemically defined system for growing human embryonic stem cells without any risk of contamination, it would make life much easier for scientists than it is at the moment,?says Kahn. “And that’s our goal.?"Kahn's study provides us with striking new insights into the molecular regulatory machinery inside embryonic stem cells,?adds Martin Pera, Ph.D., director of the Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine. “His team has identified a chemical that controls a critical switch that enables stem cells to multiply indefinitely in the laboratory. These findings will help lead to the development of new techniques to propagate pure populations of embryonic stem cells on a large scale, an essential prerequisite to the successful development of stem cell based therapies."
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Source:University of Southern California

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