Researchers identify mechanism that maintains stem-cell
readiness DALLAS – May 31, 2012 – An immune-system receptor
plays an unexpected but crucially important role in keeping stem
cells from differentiating and in helping blood cancer cells
grow, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report today
in the journal Nature. “Cancer cells grow rapidly in part
because they fail to differentiate into mature cells. Drugs that
induce differentiation can be used to treat cancers,” said Dr.
Chengcheng “Alec” Zhang, assistant professor in UT
Southwestern’s departments of physiology and developmental
biology. “Our research identified a protein receptor on cancer
cells that inhibits differentiation, and knowing the identity of
this protein should facilitate the development of new drugs to
treat cancers.” The family of proteins investigated in the study
could help open a new field of biology integrating immunology
with stem cell and cancer research, he added. “The receptor we
identified turned out to be a protein ca