Scientists from the University of Malaga (UMA) have shown that after a pancreatic damage, the Wilms’ tumor suppressor (Wt1) gene is activated in the cells called stellate —the most important cell type involved in the formation of scar tissue in response to liver and pancreas damage.
“Without the activation of Wt1 these cells cannot fulfill their function,” says Ramón Muñoz-Chápuli, who also points out the crucial role that these cells play in the progression of pancreatic cancer, since they become allies of the tumors.
The results of the UMA study reveal that the Wt1 gene is not only necessary for the normal maintenance of the pancreas, but also for its repair after damage.
The Wilms’ tumor suppressor gene encodes a protein that acts as a master regulator of the function of many other genes; therefore, as these experts say, it is very important in processes of embryonic development of various organs such as the kidneys, the spleen and the heart. Likewise, in recent years it has also been confirmed that this functional relevance extends to adult life.
This study, published in PLOS Genetics, includes the participation of professors Muñoz-Chápuli and Rita Carmona, UMA researcher Laura Ariza, and Anabel Rojas from the Andalusian Center for Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine (CABIMER).
For the authors, the team’s next step will be to move towards new functions of the Wt1 gene in cardiac development and in the adult heart.
Source: SINC
