Lab-Grown, Virus-Free Stem Cells Repair Retinal Tissue in Mice

Manuela Muñoz GómezPontifical Bolivarian University

III SemesterMolecular Biology

The Shape of Infectious Prions

and

•DNA is located in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells and the protein synthesis takes place in the cytoplasm, that’s why the RNAm is

required to take the genetic information to the ribosomes.

•The exceptions to the dogma are prions: that synthetized the DNA from the cell that is being infected and RNA viruses: because they

begin their synthesis with RNA instead of DNA.

•Replication consists on creating two daughter DNA molecules from one mother DNA molecule.

INTRODUCTIONDNA RNA Proteins

Transcription Translation

CENTRAL DOGMA OF GENETIC INFORMATION

Prions structure are very simple, they don’t contain DNA or RNA, but they can infect

proteins and propagate in that way.

THE SHAPE OF INFECTIOUS PRIONS

Giuseppe Legname described that healthy prions look like spheres, but when they are malignant

they look like cubes.

THE SHAPE OF INFECTIOUS PRIONS

The mad cow disease or bovine spongiform encephalopathies

are neurodegenerative diseases caused by prions that are

misfolded proteins. It affects the cattle causing spongy

degeneration in the brain and spinal cord leading to death.

THE SHAPE OF INFECTIOUS PRIONS

PrPSc (the pathological form of the prion

protein) can induce normal prion proteins (PrPC) to acquire the wrong conformation

and convert into further disease-causing agents.

THE SHAPE OF INFECTIOUS PRIONS

Knowing about this misfolded proteins

can help us to prevent people to

consume cow meat that is infected and

avoid the brain effects that it has on

humans.

PERSONAL OPINION

Scientist had developed stem cells that are capable to repair damaged retinal vascular

tissue in mice.

LAB-GROWN, VIRUS-FREE STEM CELLS REPAIR RETINAL TISSUE IN MICE

The stem cells are derived from human umbilical cord-blood and they can grow

without the conventional use of viruses, which can mutate genes and

initiate cancer.

LAB-GROWN, VIRUS-FREE STEM CELLS REPAIR RETINAL TISSUE IN MICE

They used the stem cord-blood cells because they had fewer acquired mutations and little,

if any, epigenetic memory, which is accumulative over time.

LAB-GROWN, VIRUS-FREE STEM CELLS REPAIR RETINAL TISSUE IN MICE

CD31 and CD146 produce twice stem cells than

iPSCs nd the most important thing is

that they repair mice’s retina

tissue.

LAB-GROWN, VIRUS-FREE STEM CELLS REPAIR RETINAL TISSUE IN MICE

I liked this news because it talked about how to repair the retina in mice with stem cells, with time they are going to improve

this technique and apply it on humans.

PERSONAL OPINION

With the discovery of the malignant form of prions, scientists can create medicines that

attack those structures.

MEDICAL UTILITY FIRST NEWS

Farmers can avoid people to eat the meat that is infected because the symptoms of the disease are easy to identify on cattle,

so we can prevent the spread of the disease.

MEDICAL UTILITY FIRST NEWS

The improvement of this investigation could save lot of people that have problems on the retina, avoid them and cure them.

MEDICAL UTILITY SECOND NEWS

Repairing retinal tissue permanent vision loss is avoided and in that way

a better lifestyle is provided to patients.

MEDICAL UTILITY SECOND NEWS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Martínez S, Lina María. Biología Molecular. 7 ed. Medellín: UPB. Facultad de Medicina, 2012. 74-84.P

• Romany N. N. Abskharon, Gabriele Giachin, Alexandre Wohlkonig, Sameh H. Soror, Els Pardon, Giuseppe Legname, Jan Steyaert. The shape of infectious prions. Sciencedaily, (online magazine), 2014 (January 24) available online: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140124082602.htm

• T. S. Park, I. Bhutto, L. Zimmerlin, J. S. Huo, P. Nagaria, D. Miller, A. J. Rufaihah, C. Talbot, J. Aguilar, R. Grebe, C. Merges, R. Reijo-Pera, R. A. Feldman, F. Rassool, J. Cooke, G. Lutty, E. T. Zambidis. Lab-Grown, Virus-Free Stem Cells Repair Retinal Tissue in Mice. Sciencedaily, (online magazine), 2014 (January 23) available online: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140123221915.htm

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