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Can you hear me now? Scientists find previously unknown receptors on adult stem cells
June 21, 2006Discovery could provide new weapons in fight against leukemia, autoimmune diseases
Oklahoma City — For many years, researchers believed that stem cells in the bone marrow spent most of their existence in a slumber-like state, unaware of — and unaffected by — the daily battles fought by the body's immune system.
Not so.
Scientists at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation have discovered that marrow stem cells — undifferentiated cells that eventually give rise to the blood cells that fight infection — possess receptors that recognize bacteria and viruses. When activated, these receptors kick the stem cells and immature blood cells into action, enlisting them to help fight whatever pathogen is attacking the body.
The findings, which appear in the June issue of the journal Immunity, could have important implications for treating leukemias and autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
"We have long known that so-called hematopoietic (blood) stem cells create the blood cells that are the front-line soldiers in the body's immune system," said Paul Kincade, Ph.D., the senior author on the paper. "But we did not believe that infectious agents played an active role in the process."
"What we have now discovered is that these stem cells have a sort of antennae that detect bacteria and viruses," continued the OMRF researcher. "And when stem cells receive these distress signals, they spring to action, creating cells the body most needs early in life-threatening situations."
This messaging system normally serves as an effective means of quickly replacing cells that are damaged or killed while keeping us healthy. But investigators suspect that the system also can be detrimental in certain circumstances — for example, in leukemia patients that are vulnerable to infections after receiving bone marrow or cord blood transplants or in autoimmune diseases like lupus, where immunosuppressive treatments often leave the body subject to long-term infection.
Scientists need to study stem cells and leukemia cells in these diseases to determine if they are using this messaging system," said Kincade.
Another key, he said, will be to figure out how best to control the receptors in stem cells. "It may be possible to boost immunity when necessary and also shut down inappropriate responses. That could provide a powerful tool to fight cancer, lupus and many other diseases.\\\
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
The findings, which appear in the June issue of the journal Immunity, could have important implications for treating leukemias and autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
"We have long known that so-called hematopoietic (blood) stem cells create the blood cells that are the front-line soldiers in the body's immune system," said Paul Kincade, Ph.D., the senior author on the paper. "But we did not believe that infectious agents played an active role in the process."
"What we have now discovered is that these stem cells have a sort of antennae that detect bacteria and viruses," continued the OMRF researcher. "And when stem cells receive these distress signals, they spring to action, creating cells the body most needs early in life-threatening situations."
This messaging system normally serves as an effective means of quickly replacing cells that are damaged or killed while keeping us healthy. But investigators suspect that the system also can be detrimental in certain circumstances — for example, in leukemia patients that are vulnerable to infections after receiving bone marrow or cord blood transplants or in autoimmune diseases like lupus, where immunosuppressive treatments often leave the body subject to long-term infection.
Scientists need to study stem cells and leukemia cells in these diseases to determine if they are using this messaging system," said Kincade.
Another key, he said, will be to figure out how best to control the receptors in stem cells. "It may be possible to boost immunity when necessary and also shut down inappropriate responses. That could provide a powerful tool to fight cancer, lupus and many other diseases.\\\
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
Stem Cells Current Events and Stem Cells News RSSGene mismatch influences success of bone marrow transplants
A commonly inherited gene deletion can increase the likelihood of immune complications following bone marrow transplantation, an international team of researchers reports in the November 22 advance online issue of Nature Genetics.
New research shows versatility of amniotic fluid stem cells
For the first time, scientists have demonstrated that stem cells found in amniotic fluid meet an important test of potential to become specialized cell types, which suggests they may be useful for treating a wider array of diseases and conditions than scientists originally thought.
First reconstitution of an epidermis from human embryonic stem cells
Stem cell research is making great strides. This is yet again illustrated by a study carried out by the I-STEM* Institute (I-STEM/ Inserm UEVE U861/AFM), published in the Lancet on 21 November 2009. The I-STEM team, directed by Marc Peschanski has just succeeded in recreating a whole epidermis from human embryonic stem cells.
Bone Implant Offers Hope for Skull Deformities
A synthetic bone matrix offers hope for babies born with craniosynostosis, a condition that causes the plates in the skull to fuse too soon.
Your Own Stem Cells Can Treat Heart Disease
The largest national stem cell study for heart disease showed the first evidence that transplanting a potent form of adult stem cells into the heart muscle of subjects with severe angina results in less pain and an improved ability to walk. The transplant subjects also experienced fewer deaths than those who didn't receive stem cells.
Is hepatic differentiation of embryonic stem cells induced by valproic acid and cytokines?
Embryonic stem (ES) cells, known for their capacity to proliferate indefinitely and differentiate into almost all types of cells including hepatocytes, have raised the hope of cellular replacement therapy for liver failure.
Paradoxical protein might prevent cancer
One difficulty with fighting cancer cells is that they are similar in many respects to the body's stem cells. By focusing on the differences, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have found a new way of tackling colon cancer. The study is presented in the prestigious journal Cell.
U of M researchers find 2 units of umbilical cord blood reduce risk of leukemia recurrence
A new study from the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota shows that patients who have acute leukemia and are transplanted with two units of umbilical cord blood (UCB) have significantly reduced risk of the disease returning.
The use of stem cells in regenerative medicine may also be detrimental for health
The use of stem cells in regenerative medicine is not always beneficial for human health, it may even be harmful according to a work done by the University of Granada and University of León. Scientists have demonstrated that transplantation of human mononuclear cells isolated from umbilical cord blood exerted a deleterious effect in rats with liver cirrhosis.
Penn Study Provides First Clear Idea of How Rare Bone Disease Progresses
An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, is taking the first step in developing a treatment for a rare genetic disorder called fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), in which the body's skeletal muscles and soft connective tissue turns to bone, immobilizing patients over a lifetime with a second skeleton.
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