The Wistar Institute's Alessandro Gardini, Ph.D., and lab have shed new light on how certain biological processes determine the development of neural cells.
Their findings on a molecular "bridge" complex demonstrate a new level of detail in the understanding of early neural development -; which is fundamental for the further understanding of neurodevelopmental syndromes. The new paper, "The enhancer module of integrator controls cell identity and early neural fate commitment" was published in the journal, Nature Cell Biology . By achieving a better understanding of how the nervous system develops at the earliest level, we are better positioned to assess the causes of and potential solutions to neurodevelopmental disorders.
Our research provides valuable evidence that neural cell development is not solely driven by transcription factors." Alessandro Gardini, Wistar Institute Although every cell in our body carries the same genetic information, not every cell is identical. Cells get direction on what type of cell to become: muscle cells, blood cells, neurons, etc.
In the early stages of biological development, stem cells transition from a state of "pluripotency," which is the ability of an unspecialized cell to develop into any number of mature, specialized cell types based on the biological signals and inputs they receive along the way. Dr. Alessandro Gardini was interested in the signals and inputs that cause pluripotent stem cells to commit to developing into neural cells du.