Best Integrative, Alternative, Complementary Cancer Center, Manila

This image depicts stem cells from adult mouse epidermis (green, Cytokeratin 6; blue, cell nucleus); Sox4 protein maintains tissue homeostasis in these cells. Credit: CNIO

An organism is healthy thanks to a good maintenance system: the normal functioning of organs and environmental exposure cause damage to tissues, which need to be continuously repaired. This process is not yet well understood, but it is known that stem cells in the organs play a key role, and that when repair fails, the organism ages more quickly. Researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) have “discovered one of the key genes that make up the maintenance mechanism for tissues” says Miguel Foronda, the first author of the manuscript.

The study is published this week in the journal Cell Reports. The authors believe that it adds another piece to the ageing, stem cells and cancer puzzle, made up of three main…