An apoptotic mouse cellWIKIMEDIA COMMONS, LABORATORY OF EXPERIMENTAL PATHOLOGY, NIEHS
Human embryonic stem cells give a whole new meaning to the phrase “taking one for the team.” Unlike any other known human cell type, hESCs are primed to immediately throw themselves on the sword if they experience any DNA damage, according to research published online today (May 3) in Molecular Cell.
Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) form the early embryo and eventually give rise to every cell type in the body. Because of this, a rapid self-destruct mechanism activated by DNA damage may prevent potentially dangerous mutations from spreading through the developing organism, the authors concluded.
The data is “convincing,” wrote Christopher Navara, who studies stem cells at the University of Texas at San Antonio and was not involved in the research, in an email ...
