The localized delivery technique provides spatial
control of cell differentiation within the cultures, potentially enabling the creation of complex three - dimensional tissues.
The microparticle technique, which was demonstrated in pluripotent mouse embryonic cells, also offers better control over the
kinetics of cell differentiation by delivering molecules that can either promote or inhibit the process.
He worked with chemist Olaf Runquist to develop mathematical
models of cell differentiation based on colon cancer samples from collaborator Bruce Boman, a professor at the University of Delaware.
For biologists, 14 days marks the
start of cell differentiation: before this, the embryo has no precursors of nerves or blood, so it can not possibly know or experience anything.
Failure of this regulation not only impairs the process of development, but also contributes to the
reversal of cell differentiation and the uncontrolled cell growth that are the hallmarks of cancer.
Seeking fresh sources, they looked for cells that express the gene neurogenin 3, a potential
sign of cell differentiation because it is the first gene to only switch on in pancreatic islets during embryonic development.
One of the most attractive features of this model is the presence of the thermolabile large T antigen, which allows the user to regulate the
level of cell differentiation.
We have discovered that the deregulation of microRNAs following chromosome instability is responsible for the acquisition of tumor related phenotypes and the induction of a metastable
state of cell differentiation in which epithelial cells respond to a senescence microenvironment by engaging in transitions deemed to be important for different steps in the metastatic progression of carcinomas.
In addition to p53, there are other transcriptional activatory mechanisms that are not well understood for the most part and which operate in response to mitogenic stimulation (11, 12), transforming growth factor - β (13, 14, 15), and aberrant oncogenic signals (16, 17) or during a
number of cell differentiation processes (18, 19).
Affiliations Key Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, Institute of Health Sciences, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences / Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China, Shanghai Stem Cell Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China, Key
Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
Dr. Olson's laboratory studies muscle cells as a model for understanding how embryonic cells adopt specific fates and how
programs of cell differentiation and morphogenesis are controlled during development.
By affecting the
rate of cell differentiation and gene expression, thyroid hormones regulate the growth and migration of neurons, including synaptic development and myelin formation in specific brain regions.
We have a longstanding interest in understanding gene expression regulation, and in our wetlab at the Sanger Institute use mouse T helper cells as a
model of cell differentiation.