New tool provides researchers with improved understanding of stem cell aging in the brain
Published in Tools.
Researchers can use the light naturally thrown off by biological specimens to better study the different states of stem cells in the nervous system, thanks to a tool developed at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, brightening their chances for studying the way stem cells age.
The UW–Madison team combined autofluorescence — that natural light emission — and sequencing genetic material in single cells to study the behavior of neural stem cells. Autofluorescence is often considered a hindrance, as it can obscure the glowing labels researchers use to track specific signals within a cell. In their new technique, however, the researchers found the signatures of autofluorescence can be used to study stem cells’ dormant state, known as quiescence.
They published their findings recently in the journal Cell Stem Cell.