'REST' is crucial for the timing of brain development
2012-03-05
(Press-News.org) Upon fertilisation, a single cell is formed when egg and sperm fuse. Our entire body, with more than 200 specialised cell types and billions of cells are formed from this single cell. It is a scientific mystery how the early stem cells know what cell type to become, but a precise timing of the process is crucial for correct development and function of our body. Researchers across the world chase knowledge about our stem cells, as this knowledge holds great promises for development of treatment against several major diseases. Researchers from BRIC, University of Copenhagen, have just shown that the molecule REST acts as an adapter in stem cells, coupling molecular on-off switches with neural genes and thereby times neuronal development.
"REST secure neuronal genes to be turned off in our stem cells until the correct time point in fetal life, where the molecule is lost and development of the nervous system begins. Our results are very important for the understanding of how genes are turned on and off during fetal development, but also relates to disease development such as cancer. Hopefully, our future studies of REST will contribute to the development of new types of treatments," says Associate Professor and Group Leader at BRIC, Klaus Hansen.
Genetic switches
All our cells contain the same DNA, yet they can develop into specialised cells with different shapes and functions. This ability is due to only selective genes being turned on in for example neuronal cells and other genes in liver cells and skin cells. Postdoc Nikolaj Dietrich from Klaus Hansen's laboratory has been the main driver of the investigation:
"Our results show that REST act as an adapter for the protein complexes called PRCs, connecting these complexes to neuronal genes. The PRCs are genetic switches turning off genes and therefore REST and the PRCs act in concert to shutdown neuronal genes. A similar mechanism has previously been described in fruit flies, but until now, no one has been able to identify such adapter-molecules in humans or other mammals. This has led to various biological hypotheses, but now we are able to show that this genetic mechanism has been conserved trough out evolution," says Nikolaj Dietrich.
Brain damage and brain tumors
REST and PRC are attached to neuronal genes in the early fetal stem cells, keeping neuronal genes turned off. During fetal development, REST disappears in cells that are determined to develop into neuronal cells, whereas the molecule is preserved in other cell types. REST is also preserved in special neuronal stem cells, ensuring that these cells maintain their stem cell properties. This is crucial if we experience damage to our nervous system later in life, as only the neuronal stem cells can repair the damage by giving rise to new neurons and thereby secure vital body functions. However, REST also appears to be associated with a higher risk of cancer:
"An increased amount of REST has been found in the brain tumor form called neuroblastoma. Some of our results indicate that REST may be involved in cancer, as the molecule can turn off some growth-inhibitory and cancer-protective genes called tumor suppressors. This possible action of REST is the focus of ongoing studies," says Nikolaj Dietrich.
INFORMATION:
The results have just been published in the international scientific journal PLoS Genetics: REST-Mediated Recruitment of Polycomb Repressor Complexes in Mammalian Cells, Dietrich et al. March 1, 2012.
Contact information:
Associate Professor Klaus Hansen, BRIC and Centre for Epigenetics
Phone: +45 35325664
Mobile: +45 21155564
E-mail: klaus.hansen@bric.ku.dk
Postdoc Nikolaj Dietrich, BRIC and Centre for Epigenetics
Phone: +45 35325747
Mobile: +45 61301428
E-mail: nikolaj.dietrich@bric.ku.dk
Research Coordinator Katrine Sonne-Hansen, BRIC
Phone: +45 35325648
Mobile: +45 25854742
E-mail: katrine.sonne@bric.ku.dk
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2012-03-05
Amron International, a leading manufacturer and supplier of commercial diving equipment and other outdoor gear, is starting a new promotional program that will provide exciting benefits for both its vendors and customers. Beginning in March, Amron will be featuring one of its partners as the "Brand of the Month" that will include special sales incentives, giveaways, and digital and social media exposure.
The first Brand of the Month will be Kirby Morgan, the leading name in commercial diving helmets and full-face masks. As part of the initial promotion, Amron ...
2012-03-05
Pioneering work by a leading University of Nottingham scientist has helped reveal for the first time a vital process in the development of the early mammalian embryo.
A team led by Professor of Tissue Engineering, Kevin Shakesheff, has created a new device in the form of a soft polymer bowl which mimics the soft tissue of the mammalian uterus in which the embryo implants. The research has been published in the journal Nature Communications.
This new laboratory culture method has allowed scientists to see critical aspects of embryonic development that have never been ...
2012-03-05
Stem cells are the body's mechanics, repairing damaged tissues and organs. Because these cells are able to grow into any type of cell in the body, scientists believe they hold the key to groundbreaking new therapies. To help further this research, scientists from the University of Victoria have found a new way to culture cells in 3D— a significant step forward for regenerative medicine.
"Cells in your body grow and divide in a 3D environment, especially when you think of stem cells, which differentiate to become all the different types of cells in your body," said paper-author ...
2012-03-05
ToolWatch Corporation will implement the full ToolWatch Enterprise suite on the London Crossrail C-310 Thames Tunnel contract. The $306 million contract is part of the $22.5 billion London Crossrail project that will connect the east and west London rail routes. The project will use the Enterprise suite to track heavy equipment, machinery (or plant), vehicles and tools, as well as monitor equipment servicing schedules and fuel consumption.
Hochtief/Murphy, a joint venture between worldwide construction giant Hochtief Solutions and U.K.-based civil engineering firm J ...
2012-03-05
Anthropogenic CO2 emissions, in addition to causing global warming, alter the chemistry of seas and oceans, causing them to turn progressively acidic. This change has severe effects on marine organisms and ecosystems. An international research published in the latest edition of the journal Science concludes that in the past 300 million years the chemistry of the Earth's oceans has undergone profound changes, although none seem to have been so rapid, so global, or to such an extent as the changes occurring presently.
The research included participation of the Institute ...
2012-03-05
Heavy diesel exhaust (DE) exposure in humans may increase the risk of dying from lung cancer, according to two papers released March 2nd by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Starting in the 1980s, studies have investigated a possible causal relationship between exposure to diesel exhaust and lung cancer. In 1989, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified diesel exhaust as a probable carcinogen.
To determine the association between diesel exhaust exposure and the risk of dying from lung cancer, Michael D. Attfield, Ph.D., formerly ...
2012-03-05
Couples who are married or living together will probably have more trouble parenting as a team if they have been violent toward one another during pregnancy, according to a team of psychologists.
"This finding is helpful because working as a parenting team, in what we call the co-parenting relationship, is a key influence on everything from mothers' postpartum depression to sensitive parenting to the children's emotional and social adjustment," said Mark E. Feinberg, research professor, Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development at Penn State.
Researchers ...
2012-03-05
CHICAGO --- Maintaining a healthy lifestyle from young adulthood into your 40s is strongly associated with low cardiovascular disease risk in middle age, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.
"The problem is few adults can maintain ideal cardiovascular health factors as they age," said Kiang Liu, first author of the study. "Many middle-aged adults develop unhealthy diets, gain weight and aren't as physically active. Such lifestyles, of course, lead to high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes and elevated cardiovascular risk."
Liu is a professor and the ...
2012-03-05
Batavia, Ill. -- The world's most precise measurement of the mass of the W boson, one of nature's elementary particles, has been achieved by scientists from the CDF and DZero collaborations at the Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
The new measurement is an important, independent constraint of the mass of the theorized Higgs boson. It also provides a rigorous test of the Standard Model that serves as the blueprint for our world, detailing the properties of the building blocks of matter and how they interact.
The Higgs boson is the last ...
2012-03-05
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Researchers have discovered critical new details about the structure of a virus that causes potentially fatal brain swelling and paralysis in children, pointing toward designs for antiviral drugs to treat the disease.
The virus, called enterovirus 71, causes hand, foot and mouth disease, and is common throughout the world. Although that disease usually is not fatal, the virus has been reported to cause encephalitis, a potentially fatal illness found primarily in the Asia-Pacific region.
Now, two research teams are reporting new findings about ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] 'REST' is crucial for the timing of brain development
