6/25/2010 PERMALINK
Ronin recruits protein 'allies' to sustain embryonic stem cell growth Baylor College of Medicine, University of Houston, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and MIT : Ronin, crucial to the self-renewal of embryonic stem cells, and a co-regulator called Hcf-1, binds to a small strand of DNA called a hyperconserved enhancer element to control a gene 'program' that stimulates growth of the stem cells and may even play a role in cancer, said a group of researchers. Dr. Thomas P. Zwaka, associate professor in the Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine (STaR) Center at Baylor and others in his laboratory first identified Ronin and its role in maintaining stem cells in their undifferentiated state. Now he and his colleagues have identified the tiny strand of DNA that enables the protein with its co-regulator Hcf-1 to maintain the rapid growth that characterizes embryonic stems cells.