Grant: Maud Menten New Principal Investigator Prize - Clinical

Embryonic stem (ES) cells hold strong therapeutic promises. To realize their application potentials, it is essential to understand what makes them self-renew (unlimited division) and what drives them to differentiate (becoming adult tissues for cell-based therapy). Our current studies suggest that one cell-cell binding protein contribute to the self-renewal and subsequent differentiation of ES cells. This cell-cell binding protein requires and connects to an adaptor protein inside the cells, which is essential for making cells stick together. Interestingly, this adaptor protein is also a key player of Wnt pathways. Wnt is a complex network of proteins and has been shown to play crucial roles in both self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells. However, it remains unclear how one signaling pathway can exert two opposite functions. In this proposal, we will attempt to study the underlying molecular mechanism. It is expected that successful completion of this project will enable efficient differentiation of embryonic stem cells into a given cell type for stem cell-based therapy.