The protein TAZ sends 'mixed signals' to stem cells
Just as beauty exists in the eye of the beholder, a signal depends upon the interpretation of the receiver. According to new USC research published in Stem Cell Reports, a protein called TAZ can convey very different signals -- depending upon not only which variety of stem cell, but also which part of the stem cell receives it. When it comes to varieties, some stem cells are "naïve" blank slates; others are "primed" to differentiate into certain types of more specialized cells. Among the truly naïve are mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), while the primed variety includes the slightly more differentiated mouse epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) as well as so-called human "ESCs" -- which may not be true ESCs at all. In the new study, PhD student Xingliang Zhou and colleagues in the laboratory of Qi-Long Ying demonstrated that naïve mouse ESCs don't require TAZ in order to self-renew and produce more stem cells. However, they do need TAZ in order to diff...