Amniotic fluid stem cells to study mTOR signaling in differentiation

Organogenesis. 2012 Jul-Sep;8(3):96-100. doi: 10.4161/org.22038. Epub 2012 Jul 1.

Abstract

The protein kinase mTOR is the central player within a pathway, which is known to be involved in the regulation of e.g., cell size, cell cycle, apoptosis, autophagy, aging and differentiation. mTOR activity responds to many signals, including cellular stress, oxygen, nutrient availability, energy status and growth factors. Deregulation of this enzyme is causatively involved in the molecular development of monogenic human diseases, cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes or neurodegeneration. Recently, mTOR has also been demonstrated to control stem cell homeostasis. A more detailed investigation of this new mTOR function will be of highest relevance to provide more explicit insights into stem cell regulation in the near future. Different cellular tools, including adult stem cells, embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells could be used to investigate the role of mTOR in mammalian stem cell biology. Here we discuss the potential of amniotic fluid stem cells to become a promising cellular model to study the role of signaling cascades in stem cell homeostasis.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Amniotic Fluid / cytology*
  • Animals
  • Cell Differentiation / physiology
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Humans
  • Signal Transduction / physiology*
  • Stem Cell Research*
  • Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Stem Cells / physiology*
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism*

Substances

  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases