Small molecules control stem cells

Small molecules are the key to directly controlling stem cell development and could contribute to the advancement of tissue repair and regeneration say researchers in the US. 

A stem cell is capable of dividing many times and can change under certain conditions into a specialized cell such as a bone cell, liver cell or red blood cell. A variety of molecules such as vitamin C and retinoic acid control the growth and differentiation of stem cells into various cell types. This has begun to provide researchers such as Sheng Ding and colleagues at the Scripps Institute in California with the chemical tools necessary to directly control stem cell development. Such tools would be essential if replacement of injured tissue using stem cells and/or treatment with compounds that regenerate tissues was ever to become a reality.

There are two main types of stem cells - those obtained from embryos and those obtained from adult tissues. It was thought that those obtained from adult tissues were strictly limited in the kinds of cells they could become. However, particular chemical signals may overcome this hurdle as well as the ethical problems often associated with using embryonic cells.

The identification of many further compounds which have a role in determining stem cell fate is crucial and will ’significantly facilitate studies of stem cell biology and contribute to development of regenerative medicine,’ said Ding.

Michael Smith