Cell Stem Cell reveals a new mechanism of stem cell dormancy

Researchers at the Canadian Princess Margaret Cancer Center have gained some new insights into how dormant hematopoietic stem cells are activated
.

This may pave the way for the treatment of many types of cancer

This discovery is based on in-depth research on lysosomes
.

Lysosomes were once considered to be just a "dust box" for stem cells, recycling waste, regulating cell regeneration, and playing the same role in all cells

Their work explains why hematopoietic stem cells can stay dormant for many years and how lysosomes act as sensors in this state
.

The researchers found that although the stem cells are in a dormant state, the lysosomes in them are still very active

This result was published in the journal Cell Stem Cell on August 2 and clarified the transcriptional control of lysosomes and its key role in stem cell regulation, opening a new window for the exploration of regenerative medicine
.

Laura Garcia-Prat, a postdoctoral researcher at Princess Margaret Cancer Center, said: "This study has discovered a new dormancy mechanism that uses lysosomes as organelles to keep cells dormant
.

This is a lysosome possibility.

Every year, tens of thousands of people around the world receive bone marrow transplants to fight leukemia
.

High-dose chemotherapy can kill rapidly dividing cancer cells, but it also kills stem cells needed to regenerate healthy blood

Stem cells in umbilical cord blood can be used as an additional source of donors, but for adult recipients, the number of stem cells is usually too small
.

People need to understand how to activate and amplify stem cells in a controlled manner, so that cord blood can be used more widely

"Understanding how to preserve hematopoietic stem cells is crucial," said co-corresponding author Dr.
John Dick
.

"If the stem cells are activated in an improper way, it will have a huge impact on the blood system, because you are losing your stem cells and you will not be able to have them again for the rest of your life

"You must do everything to keep the cell dormant
.

One way is to prevent it from sensing any signals from the surface," Dr.

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TFEB-mediated endolysosomal activity controls human hematopoietic stem cell fate

DOI: https://doi.
org/10.
1016/j.
stem.
2021.
07.
003