Regulators of (stem) cell biology

It has been known for several years now that microRNAs play an important role in gene regulation. They co-determine which proteins are produced in a cell. If this regulation is out of synch, metabolic diseases, cancer or neurodegenerative diseases, for example, can develop. The research groups headed by Dr. Matthias Selbach and Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Rajewsky from the MDC were now able to show that a single microRNA can control the formation of hundreds of proteins. “MicroRNAs turn many switches, but most of them only slightly. This can completely change the fate of a cell,” says Selbach.

Nikolaus Rajewsky’s research team, along with colleagues from Canada and the United States, was able to prove that microRNAs also play a role in stem cell biology in a study using flatworms. The flatworms, or planaria, have the extraordinary ability to reproduce a completely new viable animal from a separated part of the body. This is possible thanks to its stem cells, which account for 30 per cent of its body cells.

“Some of the microRNAs associated with stem cells in flatworms also exist in humans. The study of microRNAs in flatworms could therefore provide insights into stem cell biology and the regeneration mechanisms of humans,” says Rajewsky. These results from the MDC are possibly of great importance for ongoing research since microRNAs have a great potential for diagnosis and therapy of various diseases.