#progenitor cells

[humancelltournament]

Human Cell Tournament Round 2

Which cell or cell component is better?

Progenitor cells

Lysosomes

Voting ended onNov 15, 2024

Propaganda!

A progenitor cell is a biological cell that can differentiate into a specific cell type. Stem cells and progenitor cells have this ability in common. However, stem cells are less specified than progenitor cells. Progenitor cells can only differentiate into their "target" cell type. The most important difference between stem cells and progenitor cells is that stem cells can replicate indefinitely, whereas progenitor cells can divide only a limited number of times.

A lysosome is a membrane-bound organelle found in many animal cells. They are spherical vesicles that contain hydrolytic enzymes that can break down many kinds of biomolecules. A lysosome has a specific composition, of both its membrane proteins, and its lumenal proteins. Besides degradation of polymers, the lysosome is involved in various cell processes, including secretion, plasma membrane repair, apoptosis, cell signaling, and energy metabolism.

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Preserving Pipework

A protein called Troy (Tnfrsf19) defines a population of progenitor cells that have a key role in the maintenance of the lining of the oesophagus [food pipe]

Read the published research article here

Image from work by David Grommisch and colleagues

Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution – NonCommercial – NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Published in bioRxiv, March 2024 (not peer reviewed)

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Following Cell Fate

Analysing the dynamics of transient progenitor cell populations in a mouse stem cell-derived embryoid as a model of embryo development

Read the published research article here

Image from work by Adriano Bolondi and Benjamin K. Law, and colleagues

Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany; Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Developmental Cell, April 2024

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Fractured Relationships

Break a bone and a frenzy of activity ensues to repair it. Bone-forming cells (osteoblasts) and their precursors (osteoprogenitors) take charge. However, fractures don’t always heal well. Consequently, growth factors are sometimes given to promote healing, specifically BMP which promotes bone formation and PDGF-BB which maintains osteoprogenitor numbers. Researchers investigate how they work in a mouse bone fracture model. MicroCT of fractured bones (pictured) revealed that adding high dose BMP, low dose BMP or PDGF-BB (top, left to right) promoted bone regeneration compared with no treatment (bottom left) or combining different BMP doses with PDGF-BB (bottom middle and right). Analysing the cell types revealed that BMP2 alone increased osteoblast and osteoprogenitor numbers but failed to do so when combined with PDGF-BB. While separately BMP2 and PDGF-BB promote bone healing, together they have the opposite effect. Further unpicking their interactions may help advance bone healing treatments.

Written by Lux Fatimathas

Image adapted from work by Sanja Novak and colleagues

Center for Regenerative Medicine and Skeletal Development, UConn Health, Farmington, CT, USA

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in npj Regenerative Medicine, January 2023

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Well Packed

You probably wear the jeans that are in easy reach at the top of your overstuffed drawers more than those tucked at the back. Some genes, too, are easier to reach than others. Genetic material is tightly packed into a structure called chromatin, and which genes are expressed can depend on how this packing unfurls. Researchers hoping to understand how these structural changes guide the development of our lungs compared gene activity to packing structure in mouse lung starter cells (pictured) that produce a protein called Sox9 (red). They identified the proteins responsible for chromatin reshaping, and key signalling pathways vital to healthy lung development. Mice with a particular molecular pathway blocked failed to produce healthy lung linings and developed defective lungs. This knowledge could lead to explanations of how some developmental lung diseases take hold, and perhaps even reveal which existing treatments could be repurposed for other conditions.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Image from work by Divya Khattar and Sharlene Fernandes, and colleagues

Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in eLife, August 2022

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Slowing Down

Caused by carrying an additional, third copy of chromosome 21, Down syndrome is associated with multiple physical and neurological symptoms. Within cells, the extra chromosome wreaks havoc, changing the shape of other chromosomes, and thus affecting gene expression. In neural progenitor cells (NPCs), giving rise to several key types of brain cells, this disruption results in traits reminiscent of senescent cells – these are cells that have stopped multiplying but not yet died, and can accumulate to cause problems during ageing. One characteristic is reduced cell migration, as seen in the NPC clusters above, with red tracks representing protein filaments involved in cell movement: compared to typical NPCs (top), Down’s cells (bottom, left) move less, but senolytic drugs, which target senescent cells, help to restore movement (bottom, right). Similarities between the mechanics of Down syndrome and senescence shine a different light on this condition, opening up new avenues for potential therapies.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Image from work by Hiruy S.Meharena and colleagues, Alana Down Syndrome Center at MIT

Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

Image copyright held by the original authors

Research published in Cell Stem Cell, January 2022

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Fishy Looking

Eyesight often changes as we age, but those living with diabetes face an added challenge – high blood sugar levels can chip away at cells in the retina, leading to diabetic retinopathy and even blindness. Searching for a way to slow or stop the disorder, here scientists use a high-powered microscope to peer into the eye of a zebrafish with a genetic mutation that mimics human diabetes. In among the layers of retinal cells (with their DNA stained blue), the researchers watch as progenitor cells – stem-like cells with the ability to become specialised – react to the damaging sugars. Progenitors destined to become photoreceptors – cells shaped like ‘rods’ and ‘cones’ that are sensitive to light – are able to replenish these vital parts of the retina (the long cells highlighted in green). The aim is to coax similar cells in human eyes to repair or reduce the damage left by diabetic retinopathy.

Written by John Ankers

Image from work by Nicole Schmitner, Christina Recheis, Jakob Thönig and Robin A. Kimmel

Institute of Molecular Biology, Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), Leopold Franzens University Innsbruck, Austria

Image contributed and copyright held by Robin A. Kimmel

Research published in Cells, November 2021

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Fighting Flames

Our bodies must respond swiftly to infection, calling upon fleets of immune cells that migrate towards a pathogen. Yet as the immune defenders pile in, the surrounding tissue swells with inflammation that's both necessary and potential harmful. To keep inflammation in check, researchers find our bodies produce a balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cells. Pictured with a high-powered microscope inside this mouse’s thigh bone (highlighted in turquoise with its cell nuclei in blue), we see the likely route that progenitor cells – destined to become anti-inflammatory cells – take as they leave the bone marrow. Guided by a series of chemical signals triggered by the raging immune battle, the cells migrate through a network of lymphatic vessels (red) towards the site of infection where they calm the inflammation. Exploring these chemical changes may one day help to prevent over-zealous immune responses, avoiding conditions like sepsis.

Written by John Ankers

Image from work by Juana Serrano-Lopez and Shailaja Hegde, and colleagues

Divisions of Experimental Hematology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in eLife, April 2021

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