The initial life is developed from a stem cell. According to recent research, stem cells are not only present in the fetus, but also in various organs of adults, where "organ-specific stem cells" that can regenerate the organ exist. These cells have the ability to divide infinitely throughout their lives, but in most cases, they are in a "dormant state" due to strict restrictions; when the organ is damaged, for example, they divide and differentiate as needed. Stem cells are only "dormant" in a special environment called a "niche".
There are "hematopoietic stem cells" in our blood that manufacture various blood cells such as red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Hematopoietic stem cells are mainly found in the bone marrow. It was already known that mesenchymal stem cells, which are the source of bones and other structures, are the "cell niche," but the specific mechanisms were unclear.
The joint research group of the Graduate School of Kyushu University in Japan and the Albert Einstein Medical University in the United States has discovered for the first time in the world that mesenchymal stem cells can also be classified according to genetic genes and protein expression, and that they can also form various cell growth factors (substances that maintain the hematopoietic function of stem cells). This discovery has opened a gap in understanding the complex mechanisms that maintain stem cell functions in living organisms, and may contribute to the development of new methods for efficiently proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells and to the advancement of regenerative medicine.
The achievement was published in the February 20, 2017, online edition of Nature Cell Biology.
Source: Ministry of Science and Technology