Research findings from the lab of Xinyu Zhao, Professor of Neuroscience, are featured in a recent article from Waisman Communications.
The January 19th article, titled “Am I a stem cell? How do I know?” describes recent research in the lab that shows how a gene called MBD1 plays an important role in maintaining the identity of neural stem cells and regulating the stem-cell-to-nerve-cell pipeline in the brain.
According to Zhao, it is critical that stem cells maintain their identity if they are to retain their ability to develop into specialized cells. “This is the first time someone has shown that MBD1 plays a pivotal role in maintaining the ‘stemness’ of neural stem cells,” she says.