Tumor Suppressors and Stem Cell Biology

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案请求支持由Sean J. Morrison和Alejandro S nchez Alvarado组织的题为“肿瘤抑制因子和干细胞生物学”的Keystone专题会议，该会议将于2008年2月24日至29日在加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省举行。干细胞在所有已知的多细胞生物的发育、维持和繁殖中起着关键作用。干细胞在各种各样的生物环境中运作，从体内平衡到再生，必须受到复杂而强大的调节。最近的证据表明，肿瘤抑制机制，最初发现其抑制肿瘤发生的能力，也在干细胞的生理调节中发挥广泛的作用。肿瘤抑制因子在组织稳态、干细胞自我更新、再生和衰老的调控中发挥关键作用。这揭示了干细胞调控和癌细胞调控之间的机制联系，这些联系可能被潜在地用于靶向癌症和增强再生。这些机制在干细胞和癌症生物学中的双重作用阐明了促进再生和抑制癌症之间的进化平衡。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal is to request support for a Keystone Symposia meeting entitled "Tumor Suppressors and Stem Cell Biology", organized by Sean J. Morrison and Alejandro S nchez Alvarado, which will be held in British Columbia, Canada from February 24 - 29, 2008. Stem cells play key roles in the development, maintenance, and reproduction of all known multicellular organisms. Stem cells operate in a wide variety of biological contexts from homeostasis to regeneration and must be subject to complex and robust regulation. Recent evidence suggests that tumor suppressor mechanisms, originally discovered for their ability to inhibit tumorigenesis, also play widespread roles in the physiological regulation of stem cells. Tumor suppressors play critical roles in the regulation of tissue homeostasis, stem cell self-renewal, regeneration, and aging. This reveals mechanistic links between the regulation of stem cells, and the regulation of cancer cells that could potentially be exploited to target cancer and to enhance regeneration. The dual roles of these mechanisms in stem cell and cancer biology illuminate the evolved balance between the promotion of regeneration and the suppression of cancer.