Editor's Summary
13 March 2008
An RNA to block 'stemness'
Epithelial tissues such as the skin are able to self-renew, thanks to the stem cells located in a basal layer. Cells originating from these stem cells differentiate — losing the ability to proliferate — as they grow towards the tissue surface. Now a microRNA has been linked to this process of stratification and differentiation. miR-203 is not expressed in epidermal stem cells, but it is made as cells commit to differentiate. It represses the cell's 'stemness' and enforces differentiation by suppressing the production of p63, a protein that is known to regulate stem cell maintenance in skin.
Authors: Making the paper: Elaine Fuchs
RNA fragments in skin provide a fine degree of control.
doi:10.1038/7184xiia
Letter: A skin microRNA promotes differentiation by repressing 'stemness'
Rui Yi, Matthew N. Poy, Markus Stoffel & Elaine Fuchs
doi:10.1038/nature06642
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (838K) | Supplementary information