Topic: Prions may hold key to stem cell function

[Stormbringer]

Prions may hold key to stem cell function

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8652

22:00 30 January 2006
NewScientist.com news service
Stu Hutson






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Whitehead Institute
Susan Lindquist, Whitehead Institute
The curative properties of stem cells may rely on prions, a new study suggests, the type of protein made infamous by mad cow disease.

Prions are a special class of protein that can change the shape and function of other proteins around them. While these are found throughout any mammal’s body, the understanding of their biological role is limited. What is known is that prions that become misshapen, through some unknown process, can result in BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) – mad cow disease – and its equivalents in other animals.

Researchers at the Whitehead Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, have now found that adult stem cells in bone marrow gradually lose their ability to regenerate without their normal complement of membrane-bound prions. Stem cells are primitive cells which have the potential to divide endlessly, and the ability to differentiate into any cell type in the body – offering hope for future therapies.

First answers
Andrew Steele, Cheng Cheng Zhang and colleagues used radiation to deplete the bone marrow of mice genetically engineered to not produce the prion proteins. The animals’ marrow regenerated quickly at first, but eventually slowed to a stop. The marrow also lost its regenerative abilities when transplanted into normal mice.

“For years we’ve wondered why evolution has preserved this protein, what positive role it could possibly be playing,” says Susan Lindquist, one of the team. “With these findings we have our first answer.”

The question of how prions sustain stem cell activity remains unanswered, but the finding is a first step to understanding the destructive streak of misshapen prion proteins, Steele says. Similar tests on neural and lung stem cells are underway.

Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0510577103)

[Sirgod]

There was a small bit of this the other night on a Science show about Canabilism. It seems some people who's ancestors practiced Canabilism, may have inherited this Prion. IT then went on to suggest a common ancestory with the People now in the UK, and a group of tribes in South America.

Very interesting stuff IMHO.

Stephen

[Stormbringer]

The idea is that prions are an integral part of many celllular functions and not just disease.until i read this article I was under the impressionthat they were just a novel type of disease pathenogen like a virus or bacterium. This article says normal prions are necessry for life.

[Sirgod]

That doesn't Surprise me at all. I mean after all It's just a specialized protien for lack of a better term. What surprised me on the show I watched, was how those with a lack of this particular one, could very easily get mad cow desease, which they showed It's effects on the brain, Both cow and Human. It literally turned to swiss cheese or like a sponge.

those with the prion, where effectivly immune. I think we'll be seeing alot more research into Prions over the next few years.

Stephen

[Stormbringer]

Yup.

[Sirgod]

Yup.

[inside joke] is that all you have to say out of your gaping alimentary exit ? [/inside joke]

Sorry but coffee flew out my nostrils when I read that this Morning Storm. 

Stephen

[Dracho]

Nothing good will come of these uppity scientists prion into God's business.   

Sorry... couldn't resist that..

[FPF-Tobin Dax]

Nothing good will come of these uppity scientists prion into God's business.   

Sorry... couldn't resist that..

Interesting though since we wouldn't need to be spending so much on research for so many cures if we weren't polluting ourselves to the point that so many new diseases have come forth over the last 60 years or so.

[Stormbringer]

Yup.

[inside joke] is that all you have to say out of your gaping alimentary exit ? [/inside joke]

Sorry but coffee flew out my nostrils when I read that this Morning Storm. 

Stephen

it was a mercy killing.

[Sirgod]

You really should add Troll slayer somewhere in your Call sign.

Stephen

[Stormbringer]

I could go back to my old sig: "The Darth Lord of handing trolls their asses in a sack"

[Nemesis]

I like this one better

Stem cell transplants offer hope against lupus

Scientists claim that they have achieved landmark success with an experimental approach, using a patient’s own stem cells, to fight the life-threatening autoimmune disease lupus.

Once returned to the body, the stem cells repopulated the bone marrow and reform a functioning immune system. According to Burt, the transplanted stem cells can avoid developing into cells with dangerous autoimmune traits because their genes do not necessarily predetermine the disease.

As my mother has lupus news of any form of treatment or cure is of interest.

[Stormbringer]

I also saw one about parkinson's diease work with marrow derived stem cells.

[Just plain old Punisher]

So, when can we start harvesting their organs?

[Stormbringer]

We don't need to harvest them (unless you want to.) there has been a further breakthrough in the technology to actually print out organs.

[FPF-Tobin Dax]

I like this one better

Stem cell transplants offer hope against lupus

Scientists claim that they have achieved landmark success with an experimental approach, using a patient’s own stem cells, to fight the life-threatening autoimmune disease lupus.

Once returned to the body, the stem cells repopulated the bone marrow and reform a functioning immune system. According to Burt, the transplanted stem cells can avoid developing into cells with dangerous autoimmune traits because their genes do not necessarily predetermine the disease.

As my mother has lupus news of any form of treatment or cure is of interest.

Check out low dose naltrexone then

http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/