Source: Penn State University
Date: June 25, 2010
Summary:
A mechanism that regulates stem-cell differentiation in mice testes suggests a similar process that may trigger degenerative disease in humans, according to researchers at Penn State University. Research involved manipulating a protein called STAT3 that signals stem cells to decide whether to differentiate into a specialized type of cell or self-renew and remain stem cells. By manipulating STAT3, researchers identified a key regulator of spermatogonial stem cell self-renewal. Every time a stem cell divides, it produces two new cells. The findings were published in the June online issue of Biology of Reproduction.
