Gene plays key role in embryonic, adult stem cells

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One gene directs both embryonic and adult stem cells to perform the self-renewal function that is crucial in their potential broad use in medical treatments, researchers said on Thursday.

While the biology of these types of stem cells is very different, a study published in the journal Cell showed that they share at least this one key feature -- a gene called Zfx that controls their ability to self-renew.

Stem cells are a kind of master cell for the body, capable of transforming into various tissue and cell types, offering hope that they can be used to repair tissue damaged by disease or injury.

One reason they are valuable to medical researchers is because they can self-renew -- living and dividing in a lab dish for months or even years without differentiating into specific cell and tissue types.

Working with mouse cells, researchers led by Boris Reizis of Columbia University Medical Center in New York found that the gene Zfx governed self-renewal in embryonic stem cells and in blood-generating hematopoietic adult stem cells.

Reizis said it is quite likely this gene does the same thing in people that it does in mice. The finding expands the understanding of the biology of these cells.

Embryonic stem cells are present during early embryo development and give rise to all cell types in the body.

Advocates say embryonic stem cell research may offer revolutionary new ways to treat conditions such as diabetes, Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injuries. But this research requires destruction of days-old embryos, and opponents call it immoral.