New research shows that insulin is a key determinant of embryonic stem cell potency in mammals. When large amounts of Insulin are around, stem cells retain their ability to make all the cell types in the body. However, too little insulin leads to embryonic stem cells being transformed into a new type of stem cell, one that can make tissues that support foetal development and helps make the different internal organs.
As embryonic stem cells come from embryos around the time they implant into the mother, this study suggests that maternal insulin and diet maybe be important for the earliest stages of pregnancy. This study also points to new ways that stem cells can be made and differentiated to help treat degenerative diseases.
'We were exploring how stem cells respond to signals produced by other cells, instructions that tell them to develop into cells that are specialized for organ and intestine formation, the endoderm. But then, when we added these factors to the food (or media) normally used to grow stem cells in, we were surprised that these signals could instruct stem cells to stay as stem cells.
By comparing different media we discovered a key difference, Insulin. With Insulin, they stay as stem cells, but with out it they make a special type of endoderm. As this type of stem cell is like the cells of the early embryo, it suggests that insulin could also be important for human development implying maternal diet and insulin levels could effect the earliest stages of a healthy pregnancy, says head of the study
At the same time, the author stresses that some of these ideas are still only conjecture and a lot of work will now need to be done to understand the relationship between maternal insulin, implantation and early development before researchers can make concrete recommendations.
The researchers in the study have examined in detail two types of stem cell which resemble each other. One kind - the embryonic stem cells, also called pluripotent stem cells - have the ability to support the development of the entire foetus. These cells can develop into any types of cell in the body. The other kind is the extraembryonic cells, which produce a type of endoderm that makes tissues that support foetal development known as the yolk sac and also helps make the internal organs, for example the intestinal system.
The researchers have studied two transmitter or signal substances (Nodal and Wnt), which play a main role in stem cell development. Here they discovered that the transmitter substances were able to promote cell division in the endoderm and, at the same time, supported cell division among the pluripotent cells, but that they could choose which cell they supported based on what insulin was telling them to do.
If the researchers removed insulin, the pluripotent stem cells stopped dividing and endoderm cells replaced them. When Insulin was there, the pluripotent cells grew and retained the ability to become any cell in the body.
'The mechanisms we have uncovered are very interesting. This suggests that different amounts of insulin cause cells to respond differently to the same signals. So far we have only done tests on mice, but the next step is to examine whether the same mechanisms are found in humans', says post.doc.
http://healthsciences.ku.dk/news/2017/09/a-new-role-for-insulin-as-a-vital-factor-in-maintaining-stem-cells/
http://www.nature.com/ncb/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ncb3617.html?foxtrotcallback=true
Insulin maintains pluripotency of embryonic stem cells
- 2,537 views
- Added
Edited
Latest News
How protein synthesis in de…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Atlas of mRNA variants in d…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Mapping microbiome in metas…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Full-length mRNA packaged i…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Glucose-sensing mechanism t…
By newseditor
Posted 21 Apr
Other Top Stories
Dietary preferences may explain the gut microbiota differences in a…
Read more
Different mechanisms of huntingtin aggregation
Read more
How memories move during sleep?
Read more
How salt affects blood flow in the brain
Read more
The mechanisms of drug side effects
Read more
Protocols
A programmable targeted pro…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
MemPrep, a new technology f…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
A tangible method to assess…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
Stem cell-derived vessels-o…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Apr
Single-cell biclustering fo…
By newseditor
Posted 01 Apr
Publications
Neuronal activity rapidly r…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
A perspective on muscle phe…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Foxp1 suppresses cortical a…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Single-cell long-read seque…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Unlocking potential: the ro…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar