Stem cells in plants and animals behave surprisingly similarly
Carsten Peterson is one of the researchers behind the recent study on differences and similarities between animal and plant stem cells. With a background in theoretical physics , he and his colleagues have tackled the stem cells from a different perspective, which proved successful. By formulating mathematical equations, the researchers have performed a detailed study of the proteins that are central to the stem cells in mammals and plants. The proteins are linked to the genes that control the stem cells. In particular, the researchers have studied how these proteins mutually affect one another through interaction as the cells evolve. "Although the proteins in mammalian and plant stem cells are very different when studied separately, there are major similarities in the ways in which they interact, that is, how they strengthen or weaken each other," says Carsten Peterson. Stem cells are a hot topic in medical contexts, especially when it comes to cancer and autoimmune ...