PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Getting under your skin: Molecular research builds new understanding of skin regeneration

Formerly ignored 'genetic junk' plays critical role in skin cell differentiation and regeneration

2021-01-19
(Press-News.org) As the air continues to dry and temperatures drop, the yearly battle against dry hands and skin has officially begun. New research from Northwestern University has found new evidence deep within the skin about the mechanisms controlling skin repair and renewal.

Skin's barrier function gives it the unique ability to fight winter woes and retain water for our bodies. The outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, is constantly turning over to replace dead or damaged cells, creating new cells to reinforce the barrier function and heal damage. The gene regulatory mechanisms that control epidermis turnover remain incompletely understood.

"Every month we're covered with a new layer of epidermis," said Northwestern's Xiaomin Bao, who led the study. "The next question is what does that process involve?"

The paper will be published Jan. 19 in the journal Nature Communications.

Bao is an assistant professor of molecular biosciences in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences with a joint appointment in the Department of Dermatology at the Feinberg School of Medicine.

Genetic 'junk'

The scientific community has developed a wide breadth of knowledge about proteins, the workhorses of various cellular activities. However, proteins are only encoded by less than 2% of the human genome. Many mysteries remain about the nature of introns, non-coding segments of DNA that make up 24% of the human genome.

Despite the general belief that introns are nothing but "genetic junk," they actually play critical roles in modulating RNA transcription throughout a tissue's lifespan. RNA transcription is the first step of gene expression, in which the information from DNA is copied into RNA, which is then subsequently used as template for synthesizing proteins to drive the specific function of a cell. Depending on where transcription terminates -- in an intron or at the end of a gene -- an epidermal stem cell will either remain a stem cell or become a specified cell barrier function. Bao said while it's well-know that transcription ends at the end of a gene, her lab's research found conflicting data.

"We found a lot of sites where transcription terminates--not just at the end of a gene, but often within an intron in the middle of a gene," Bao said. "Even the same genes may have different transcription termination patterns in epidermal stem cells versus terminally differentiated cells."

The finding may apply to many more self-renewing regenerative systems in the human body. Future research could have implications on carcinoma research.

Technology critical to discovery of phenomenon

Skin cells are gaining popularity with researchers in part due to their regenerative properties and readiness to grow in cultures. This allows researchers to apply a variety of state-of-the-art technologies. By growing skin cells and regenerating skin tissue in a petri dish, the Bao Lab can experiment with this fast-growing tissue to determine molecular mechanisms and regulatory elements within DNA.

"Technology development is a key driver that allowed us to uncover this new phenomenon," Bao said.

The team used a novel genomic technique that precisely maps where transcription stops. The integration of proteomic approaches identified RNA-binding proteins that read specific regulatory sequences in the introns. The team further leveraged CRISPR technology to delete genomic sequences in the intron, which provided direct evidence demonstrating the essential roles of introns in modulating gene expression.

Before this research, mechanisms involving introns to govern the switch between a skin stem cell and a terminally differential state (for example, a cell that participates in forming a skin barrier), were unknown. Most studies ignored introns, despite them accounting for 10 to 20 times more sequences than the protein-coding regions (exons) in the human genome.

The study shows that different genes may involve different sets of RNA-binding proteins to recognize the regulatory sequences in their introns. These RNA-binding proteins help maturing RNA "decide" whether to cut transcription early, or ignore termination sites within an intron during differentiation due to changes in protein availability.

"We are only beginning to appreciate the roles of intron in human health and diseases," Bao said.

Results of the study could have wider impacts because, according to Bao, the processes regulating skin cells are almost definitely not restricted to skin cells. Future research on other systems, including other epithelial tissues, will likely uncover similar patterns.

"We are very hopeful that what we've found is the first step to knowing what we have ignored in the past," Bao said. "With the contribution of the non-coding genome and in this case, particularly the contribution of introns, this information is revelatory to gene expression. My students also want to know more about the RNA binding proteins that provide specificity in governing which site to use to terminate transcription."

INFORMATION:

Postdoctoral scholar Xin Chen and graduate student Sarah Lloyd were the paper's co-first authors. The Skin Biology and Diseases Research Center at Northwestern, the NUseq Core and the proteomics core facilities provided research materials and technical support to the lab.

The paper, "Epidermal Progenitors Suppress GRHL3-mediated Differentiation Through Intrionic Polyadenlyation Promoted by CPSF-HNRNPA3 Collaboration," was supported by the National Institutes of Health (award number R00AR065480, R01AR07515) and the Searle Leadership Fund to the Bao Lab, as well as the CMBD training grant and the Northwestern Presidential Fellowship to Lloyd.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Do children view punishment as rehabilitative? A new study takes a look

2021-01-19
The United States incarcerates more residents than any other country, however there is limited research that examines how people view such punishment, and whether views about punishment change with development. Previous research on this topic raises two very different possibilities: 1) children are typically more optimistic than adults, making them more likely to report that people's moral character improves following punishment, and 2) children are more likely than adults to report that others' characteristics - including moral traits - are unchangeable, making them less likely than adults to report that punishment affects moral growth. Researchers probed these contrasting possibilities further in two studies exploring children's and adults' views about the impact of ...

Certain parenting behaviors associated with positive changes in well-being during COVID-19 pandemic

2021-01-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic, parents have been faced with challenging circumstances to balance work, household, care of children and support of distance learning for school-age children without help from their regular support systems such as schools, childcare, and often other family members as well. A new longitudinal study in Germany examined day-to-day parenting behavior during the restrictions and closures caused by the pandemic from the end of March until the end of April 2020. Research showed that autonomy-supportive parenting (offering meaningful choices when possible) contributed to positive well-being for both children and parents. The findings were published in a Child Development article ...

New approach emerges to better classify, treat brain tumors

New approach emerges to better classify, treat brain tumors
2021-01-19
AUGUSTA, Ga. (Jan. 19, 2021) - A look at RNA tells us what our genes are telling our cells to do, and scientists say looking directly at the RNA of brain tumor cells appears to provide objective, efficient evidence to better classify a tumor and the most effective treatments. Gliomas are the most common brain tumor type in adults, they have a wide range of possible outcomes and three subtypes, from the generally more treatable astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas to the typically more lethal glioblastomas. Medical College of Georgia scientists report in the journal Scientific Reports that their method, which produces what is ...

Childhood neglect leaves generational imprint

2021-01-19
Philadelphia, January 19, 2021 - Early life experiences can have an outsized effect on brain development and neurobiological health. New research is showing that those effects can be passed down to subsequent generations, reporting that the infant children of mothers who had experienced childhood emotional neglect displayed altered brain circuitry involved in fear responses and anxiety. The study appears in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, published by Elsevier. "These results show that our brain development is not only shaped by what happens in our own life, ...

New drug combination shows promise as powerful treatment for AML

New drug combination shows promise as powerful treatment for AML
2021-01-19
LA JOLLA, CALIF. - Jan 20, 2020 - Scientists have identified two drugs that are potent against acute myeloid leukemia (AML) when combined, but only weakly effective when used alone. The researchers were able to significantly enhance cancer cell death by jointly administering the drugs that are only partially effective when used as single-agent therapies. The study, a collaboration between Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute and the University of Glasgow, was recently published in the journal Nature Communications. "Our study shows that two types of drugs, MDM2 inhibitors and BET inhibitors, work synergistically to promote significant anti-leukemia activity," says Peter Adams, Ph.D., a professor at Sanford Burnham Prebys and senior author of the study. "The results ...

Simple, cheap test can help save lives from colorectal cancer

2021-01-19
New research has demonstrated that a simple, cheap test can help identify who is at risk of developing colorectal cancer, aiding early diagnosis and potentially saving lives. Led by the University of Exeter, and supported by the Peninsula and the Somerset, Wiltshire, Avon, and Gloucestershire Cancer Alliances, and by the Cancer Research UK CanTest Collaborative, a new study published today in the British Journal of Cancer examined data from nearly 4,000 patients aged 50 and over. The study involved all healthcare providers in the South West of England taking a new approach. ...

Successive governments' approach to obesity policies has destined them to fail

2021-01-19
Successive governments' approach to obesity policies has destined them to fail, say researchers. Government obesity policies in England over the past three decades have largely failed because of problems with implementation, lack of learning from past successes or failures, and a reliance on trying to persuade individuals to change their behaviour rather than tackling unhealthy environments. This is the conclusion of new research by a team at the University of Cambridge funded by the NIHR School for Public Health Research. The researchers say their findings may help to explain why, after nearly thirty years of government obesity policies, obesity prevalence in England has not fallen and substantial inequalities persist. According to a report by NHS Digital in May 2020, ...

'Babysitters' provide boost to offspring of elderly birds

2021-01-19
Young Seychelles warblers fare better if their elderly parents have help raising them, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the University of Groningen. Seychelles warblers, a cooperatively breeding species of songbird that lives in small family groups, share the care of young between parents and helpers. This collaboration can compensate for a decline in the ability of elderly parents to provide sufficient care, the researchers found. It may also promote more social behaviour in family groups with older parents. The findings help explain why social species, such as humans, often do better if they live in groups and cooperate to raise offspring. The ...

Fried food intake linked to heightened serious heart disease and stroke risk

2021-01-19
Fried-food intake is linked to a heightened risk of major heart disease and stroke, finds a pooled analysis of the available research data, published online in the journal Heart. And the risk rises with each additional 114 g weekly serving, the analysis indicates. It's clear that the Western diet doesn't promote good cardiovascular health, but it's not clear exactly what contribution fried food might make to the risks of serious heart disease and stroke, say the researchers. To shed some light on this, they trawled research databases, looking for relevant studies published up to April 2020, and found 19. They pooled the data from 17, involving 562,445 participants ...

Stop global roll out of 5G networks until safety is confirmed, urges expert

2021-01-19
We should err on the side of caution and stop the global roll out of 5G (fifth generation) telecoms networks until we are certain this technology is completely safe, urges an expert in an opinion piece published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. There are no health concerns about 5G and COVID-19, despite what conspiracy theorists have suggested. But the transmitter density required for 5G means that more people will be exposed to radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs), and at levels that emerging evidence suggests, are potentially harmful to health, argues Professor John William Frank, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh. The ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Underserved youth less likely to visit emergency department for concussion in Ontario, study finds

‘Molecular shield’ placed in the nose may soon treat common hay fever trigger

Beetles under climate stress lay larger male eggs: Wolbachia infection drives adaptive reproduction strategy in response to rising temperature and CO₂

Groundbreaking quantum study puts wave-particle duality to work

Weekly injection could be life changing for Parkinson’s patients

Toxic metals linked to impaired growth in infants in Guatemala

Being consistently physically active in adulthood linked to 30–40% lower risk of death

Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks

Children’s social care involvement common to nearly third of UK mums who died during perinatal period

‘Support, not judgement’: Study explores links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths

Ethnic minority and poorer children more likely to die in intensive care

Major progress in fertility preservation after treatment for cancer of the lymphatic system

Fewer complications after additional ultrasound in pregnant women who feel less fetal movement

Environmental impact of common pesticides seriously underestimated

The Milky Way could be teeming with more satellite galaxies than previously thought

New study reveals surprising reproductive secrets of a cricket-hunting parasitoid fly

Media Tip Sheet: Symposia at ESA2025

NSF CAREER Award will power UVA engineer’s research to improve drug purification

Tiny parasitoid flies show how early-life competition shapes adult success

New coating for glass promises energy-saving windows

Green spaces boost children’s cognitive skills and strengthen family well-being

Ancient trees dying faster than expected in Eastern Oregon

Study findings help hone precision of proven CVD risk tool

Most patients with advanced melanoma who received pre-surgical immunotherapy remain alive and disease free four years later

Introducing BioEmu: A generative AI Model that enables high-speed and accurate prediction of protein structural ensembles

Replacing mutated microglia with healthy microglia halts progression of genetic neurological disease in mice and humans

New research shows how tropical plants manage rival insect tenants by giving them separate ‘flats’

Condo-style living helps keep the peace inside these ant plants

Climate change action could dramatically limit rising UK heatwave deaths

Annual heat-related deaths projected to increase significantly due to climate and population change

[Press-News.org] Getting under your skin: Molecular research builds new understanding of skin regeneration
Formerly ignored 'genetic junk' plays critical role in skin cell differentiation and regeneration