Promises the appearance of cells

2004/06/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Biologia

How do cells know when they mature? Some biologists believe that the appearance they adopt when growing up has something to do with the fate of the cell. In fact, fat cells grow from their spherical form and the cells of the bones from their fibrous form. Furthermore, the enzyme Rho, which helps the growth of bone cells, appears in high concentration in fibrous cells and low concentration in round cells.

Scientists have wanted to confirm that the appearance commands in the future of the cell. To do this, they cultivated in the laboratory some stem cells that forced them to have one form or another. If they are not forced, these stem cells can become adipose or bone cells when they grow.

But whenever biologists forced them to adopt a circular aspect, they became fat cells, while when they were forced to adopt a fibrous aspect, bone cells grew. This means that these stem cells grow according to their geometric shape.