Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco found that the activity mechanisms of some stem cells that support healthy brain development may also contribute to the development of glioblastoma in adults. Research results It was published In the journal Nature.
In the study, scientists analyzed gene expression in cells taken from donated brain samples from 27 people in different age groups, from babies to adolescents. Gene expression is the process by which DNA stored on chromosomes is transcribed into RNA, short-lived genetic messages that are then used as a “template” to make proteins.
By assessing RNA activity, researchers were able to observe the behavior of these cells, allowing for a deeper understanding of how the brain is wired.
“RNA degrades rapidly, and clean tissue is needed to obtain accurate data,” said Arnold Kriegstein, a professor of neurology at the University of California, Berkeley, and one of the study’s authors.
Scientists paid special attention to cells taken from the anterior and posterior parts of the cerebral cortex, areas responsible for learning, memory and speech. While analyzing the data, the researchers discovered a group of stem cells that began expressing genes typically found in three types of mature cells.
According to scientists, this unusual behavior may lead to the formation of glioblastoma in adults, which contain three types of cells in their brains.
This phenomenon supports the hypothesis that tumors may hijack genetic growth programs, causing cells to divide uncontrollably.
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Source: Gazeta
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