Stem cells can become anything - but not without this protein, U-M scientists find

Stem cells have the ability to become any type of cell in the body, but researchers weren't sure why. Now, a University of Michigan Medical School team has published a key discovery that could help answer that question. In the current issue of the prestigious journal Cell Stem Cell, researcher Yali Dou, Ph.D., and her team show the crucial role of a protein called Mof in preserving the "stem-ness" of stem cells, and priming them to become specialized cells in mice. NHGRI helped fund the research.
Source: NHGRI-Related News - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: news