Honey bee Royalactin unlocks conserved pluripotency pathway in mammals.

TitleHoney bee Royalactin unlocks conserved pluripotency pathway in mammals.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2018
AuthorsWan DC, Morgan SL, Spencley AL, Mariano N, Chang EY, Shankar G, Luo Y, Li TH, Huh D, Huynh SK, Garcia JM, Dovey CM, Lumb J, Liu L, Brown KV, Bermudez A, Luong R, Zeng H, Mascetti VL, Pitteri SJ, Wang J, Tu H, Quarta M, Sebastiano V, Nusse R, Rando TA, Carette JE, Bazan JF, Wang KC
JournalNature communications
Volume9
Issue1
Pagination5078
Date Published2018 Dec 4
AbstractRoyal jelly is the queen-maker for the honey bee Apis mellifera, and has cross-species effects on longevity, fertility, and regeneration in mammals. Despite this knowledge, how royal jelly or its components exert their myriad effects has remained poorly understood. Using mouse embryonic stem cells as a platform, here we report that through its major protein component Royalactin, royal jelly can maintain pluripotency by activating a ground-state pluripotency-like gene network. We further identify Regina, a mammalian structural analog of Royalactin that also induces a naive-like state in mouse embryonic stem cells. This reveals an important innate program for stem cell self-renewal with broad implications in understanding the molecular regulation of stem cell fate across species.
URLhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06256-4
DOI10.1038/s41467-018-06256-4
Short TitleNat Commun