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What’s the Stem Cells Buzz this Week? - Stem Cell Radiation Risk, Olfactory Epithelium Progenitor and Stem Cells, MSCs and Heart Disease, and, EpCAM and Colorectal Cancer!




Reviewing Radiation Risk and Stem Cells

The first of this week’s review articles from the lab of Umberto Galderisi (Campania University, Naples, Italy) discusses the effects of low dose ionizing radiation (LDIR) on the biology of stem cell compartments. Due to their long life, stem cells may suffer from multiple LDIR insults from medical diagnosis and therapy, air travel, illegal IR waste dumpsites, or by occupational exposures in the nuclear and medical sectors, which can combine to the detriment of stem cell function. For what sounds like a riveting read, head over to STEM CELLS now.

Notch Signaling in Olfactory Epithelium Stem and Progenitor Cells

A new study from the labs of Yiqun Yu and Hongmeng Yu (Fudan University, Shanghai, China) sought to uncover the role of Notch signaling in the regulation of olfactory epithelium (OE) progenitor/stem cells. Employing in vivo lineage tracing, Dai et al. discovered two potential roles for Notch signaling: 1) marking globose basal cells (GBCs) localized in the OE to regulate normal cellular turnover, and 2) marking HBCs to reconstruct OE after injury. For all the intricate details, see STEM CELLS now!

Reviewing Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Heart Disease

This week’s second review article from the lab of Kim A. Connelly (University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada) aims to summarize the known mechanisms that contribute to mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)‐based cardiac regeneration. Ward et al. highlight results from molecular and preclinical studies, discuss clinical trial results to date, describe ongoing investigations, and assess novel approaches for the enhancement of MSC based cardiac regeneration, such as genetic modification. To get yourself up to date, head to STEM CELLS Translational Medicine now!

Reviewing the Role of EpCAM in Aggressive Colorectal Cancer

Our final review article, from the labs of Maximilian Boesch (Kantonsspital St. Gallen, Switzerland) and Andreas Seeber (Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria), provides an update on the role of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) in cancer stem cells (CSCs) and the epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) in colorectal cancer (CRC). Additionally, the authors emphasize the potential predictive selection criteria for novel treatment strategies and refined clinical trial design. See STEM CELLS Translational Medicine now for all the fine print.
