Two Opposing Faces of Retinoic Acid: Induction of Stemness or Induction of Differentiation Depending on Cell-Type
October 2019
in “
Biomolecules
”
TLDR Retinoic acid can either maintain stem cells or make them specialize, depending on the cell type.
The document discussed the dual role of all-trans retinoic acid (RA) in stem cell biology, highlighting its ability to either promote stemness or induce differentiation depending on the cell type. RA, derived from vitamin A, played a crucial role in balancing genomic and nongenomic signaling pathways that regulate stem cell behavior, impacting both healthy tissue regeneration and tumor growth. The study emphasized the importance of understanding RA's regulatory mechanisms to enhance its therapeutic potential in regenerative medicine and cancer treatment.