Histone Cross-talk In Stem Cells

摘要

Stem cells have garnered substantial interest for their role in development, as a potential source of cell-based therapy in a number of diseases, and for the possibility that cells with stem cell properties are a common factor in tumorigenesis (1). The defining feature of all stem cells is the ability to both self-renew and give rise to other cell types. Beyond that, however, commonalities in stem cell biology are exceptional. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has been a major source of our knowledge of stem cell biology, with several different types of adult stem cells having been identified in different tissues. On page 248 of this issue (2), Buszczak et al. have identified Scrawny (SCNY), a ubiquitin-specific protease, that targets a histone protein (H2B) as a common requirement for maintaining multiple types of adult stem cells in Drosophila.