Why is it different from yeast cells?

The relationship between mother and child can be very difficult to understand. Why can mother and daughter be so different? Northwestern research shows how this can happen, and of course . in yeast cells.

A research team has discovered a new mechanism in determining the fate of cells - how a daughter cell becomes completely different from the mother cell, even though they have the same genetic material. Research shows why mother cells and daughter cells are different in gene expression.

By studying yeast, the entire genome is known, scientists can understand the basis of cell division, and apply that knowledge to humans. Many basic mechanisms of cell division in identical yeast, or similarly, in mammals; Many proteins related to human disease related to proteins are involved in cell division in yeast.

New knowledge of cell fate determination can lead to an understanding of healthy human cells, what happens in cancer cells and how stem cells or embryonic cells work. Eric L. Weiss - professor of biochemistry, cell and molecular biology at Northwestern's Weinberg College of Science and Arts - said: 'Cancer may reflect an unusual lack of identity, in which cells, are designated to perform a certain task, 'forget' that task, and become like stem cells divided at a rapid rate '. Weiss directs the team, including scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

'Understanding how the state of discrimination is formed can help us deduce how to remind cancer cells to return to their original mission or fate - or rather die'.

Yeast cells (Photos; Wikimedia Commons)

When yeast cells divide, it creates a mother cell and a smaller daughter cell. The daughter cell is the cell that takes the last step in the division, severing its relationship with the mother cell. And baby cells need longer time than mother cells to start the next division cycle, because it needs development time.

The key for researchers to explore the activity of discrimination is the gene regulator Ace2 , a protein that directly activates genes. The researchers found that the protein is trapped inside the nucleus of the daughter cell, activating the gene that causes the daughter cell to differ from the mother cell.

The team has for the first time discovered that a gene regulator factor is trapped because a signaling pathway (a protein kinase called Cbk1) activates and prevents Ace2 from interacting with the output mechanism of the cell nucleus. If not blocked, this mechanism will push the regulator out of the nucleus, and the daughter cells will be more like mother cells.

Weiss said: 'The daughter cell gene expression is very special, and now we know why.'

The researchers also found that the process of distinguishing mother cells and daughter cells - gene regulation proteins trapped in the nucleus of the daughter cell - occurs when the two cells remain connected.

In addition to Weiss, other authors of the article include Emily Mazanka (main author), Brian J. Yeh and Patrick Charoenpong, from Northwestern; and Jes Alexander, Drew M. Lowery and Michael Yaffee, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Refer:

Mazanka et al. The NDR / LATS Family Kinase Cbk1 Directly Controls Transcriptional Asymmetry. PLoS Biology, 2008; 6 (8): e203 DOI: 10.1371 / journal.pbio.0060203