RSS Feeds

Earth Science

Space Science

Life Science

Fields of Scientific Study

Nanotechnology

Cancer

Definitions of The Fields of Scientific Study

Echoes of phlogiston in stem cell biology

September 22, 2009

Before it was learned that matter burns by taking up oxygen, most chemists sought to explain combustion as the release of a mysterious substance, which they named "phlogiston". Phlogiston theory was a conceptual breakthrough that helped chemists conduct experiments and share ideas. Only when it came to pinning down the distinctive physical properties of phlogiston did it become clear that no such thing exists. Now an opinion piece by Arthur Lander, published in BioMed Central's open access Journal of Biology, argues that the idea of stem cells-a major conceptual breakthrough in biology-is running into similar troubles as investigators try to pin it down to a set of distinctive molecular characteristics.

Professor Lander, Director of the Center for Complex Biological Systems at the University of California, Irvine, USA, argues that neither of the two properties that define 'stem cells' as they are popularly discussed, potency and self-renewal, can be ascribed an exclusive molecular basis, and that both are seen in cell types not usually described as stem cells. He said, "It is curious that, after 45 years, we are unable to place the notion of 'stemness' on a purely molecular footing. Of course, the fact that a goal has not been achieved after a long time does not mean that the answer is not around the corner. But it does give one cause to wonder whether something we are doing needs to change, either in the question we are asking or the way we are approaching it".

Lander writes that 'stemness' should be considered a property of systems, rather than individual cells, describing how a system with stemness is one that can achieve a controlled size, maintain itself homeostatically, and regenerate when necessary. He argues that such behaviors naturally emerge as a consequence of basic engineering principles of feedback control. This is more than a minor semantic quibble - just one practical consequence of an inaccurate understanding of the precise nature of stem cells may be the assumption that specific chemotherapeutic targeting of 'cancer stem cells' will necessarily stop tumors in their tracks. As Lander writes, "If feedback and lineage progression continue to take place in cancerous tissues, we might observe that under different conditions - different stages of tumorigensis, different parts of a tumor, different amounts of tumor cells - that different cell types will assume the role of cancer stem cell".

He concludes, "Like phlogiston, the term 'stem cell' is a scientific concept. Just as investigating the concept of phlogiston allowed the discovery of oxygen and the process of oxidation, it may be that by refashioning our thinking about stem cells - with systems relationships and dynamics taking the place of molecular signatures and simple gene regulatory circuits - the concept of stemness will continue to light the path toward understanding".

BioMed Central

More Phlogiston Current Events and Phlogiston News Articles

	Considerations on the Doctrine of Phlogiston and the Decomposition of Water, And Two Lectures on Combustion and an Examination of Doctor Priestley's Considerations of the Doctrine of Phlogiston by William Foster (Editor)
	The Exiles Dr. Phlogiston (Primary Contributor)
	Brazilla - Phlogiston / 5 Song CD Import
	Historic Print (S): Doctor Phlogiston, the priestley politician or The political priest / Annabal Scratch, f by Olde Yankee Map and Photo Shoppe This is a museum quality, reproduction print on premium paper with archival/UV resistant inks. The framed work is single matted (ivory), under acrylic glass, with a hanging wire. Date: [England] : Published as the Act directs by Bentley & Co., 1791 July 1st. Subject: Notes: Attic Miscellany. Political Portraiture No. 4. From Attic Miscellany, ii. 369. This record contains unverified data from George. Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum / by Mary Dorothy George, v. 6, no. 7887 Forms part of: British Cartoon Prints Collection (Library of Congress). Format: Cartoons (Commentary) British 1790-1800.Engravings 1790-1800. SOURCE: Library of Congress
	Considerations on the doctrine of phlogiston,: And the decomposition of water, by Joseph Priestley (Author)
	Stainless Majesty Dr. Phlogiston (Primary Contributor)
	CONSIDERATIONS ON THE DOCTRINE OF PHLOGISTON AND THE DECOMPOSITION OF WATER -AND- TWO LECTURES ON COMBUSTION by Princeton University Press (Publisher)
	Historic Print (XL): Doctor Phlogiston, the priestley politician or The political priest / Annabal Scratch, f by Olde Yankee Map and Photo Shoppe This is a museum quality, reproduction print on premium paper with archival/UV resistant inks. The framed work is single matted (ivory), under acrylic glass, with a hanging wire. Date: [England] : Published as the Act directs by Bentley & Co., 1791 July 1st. Subject: Notes: Attic Miscellany. Political Portraiture No. 4. From Attic Miscellany, ii. 369. This record contains unverified data from George. Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum / by Mary Dorothy George, v. 6, no. 7887 Forms part of: British Cartoon Prints Collection (Library of Congress). Format: Cartoons (Commentary) British 1790-1800.Engravings 1790-1800. SOURCE: Library of Congress
	The Day After Yesterday [CD on Demand] by Truck Mills The Day After Yesterday by Truck Mills This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.
	The Rise and Fall of the Phlogiston Theory of Fire: An entry from Gale's Science and Its Times by David Tulloch (Author) This digital document is an article from Science and Its Times, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses. The length of the article is 1461 words. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. The histories of science, technology, and mathematics merge with the study of humanities and social science in this interdisciplinary reference work. Essays on people, theories, discoveries, and concepts are combined with overviews, bibliographies of primary documents, and chronological elements to offer students a fascinating way to understand the impact of science on the course...