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Transcriptional and Translational Regulation of Stem Cells pp 233–245Cite as

The Musashi Family of RNA Binding Proteins: Master Regulators of Multiple Stem Cell Populations

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Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 786))

Abstract

In order to maintain their unlimited capacity to divide, stem cells require controlled temporal and spatial protein expression. The Musashi family of RNA-binding proteins have been shown to exhibit this necessary translational control through both repression and activation in order to regulate multiple stem cell populations. This chapter looks in depth at the initial discovery and characterisation of Musashi in the model organism Drosophila, and its subsequent emergence as a master regulator in a number of stem cell populations. Furthermore the unique roles for mammalian Musashi-1 and Musashi-2 in different stem cell types are correlated with the perceived diagnostic power of Musashi expression in specific stem cell derived oncologies. In particular the potential role for Musashi in the identification and treatment of human cancer is considered, with a focus on the role of Musashi-2 in leukaemia. Finally, the manipulation of Musashi expression is proposed as a potential avenue towards the targeted treatment of specific aggressive stem cell cancers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Priority Research Centre in Reproductive Science, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia

    Jessie M. Sutherland & Eileen A. McLaughlin

  2. Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Gary R. Hime & Nicole A. Siddall

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  1. Jessie M. Sutherland
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  2. Eileen A. McLaughlin
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  3. Gary R. Hime
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  4. Nicole A. Siddall
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eileen A. McLaughlin .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, VIC Grattan Street, Parkville, 3010, Victoria, Australia

    Gary Hime

  2. , Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Monash University, Clayton, 3800, Victoria, Australia

    Helen Abud

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Sutherland, J.M., McLaughlin, E.A., Hime, G.R., Siddall, N.A. (2013). The Musashi Family of RNA Binding Proteins: Master Regulators of Multiple Stem Cell Populations. In: Hime, G., Abud, H. (eds) Transcriptional and Translational Regulation of Stem Cells. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 786. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6621-1_13

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