Researchers at Stanford University found that the main active component in royal jelly, a protein called royalactin, activates a network of genes that bolsters the ability of stem cells to renew themselves. It means that, with royalactin, an organism can produce more stem cells to build and repair itself with.
Royal jelly has intrigued scientists since its dramatic impact on honeybee development first became clear. But its effects on other animals have sparked even more interest. Previous studies have shown that royal jelly can improve the lifespan of a range of animals from nematode worms to mice.“We have a very identifiable avenue through which royal jelly’s effects are carried out,” said Kevin Wang, who led the Stanford team. “It has this activity of keeping stem cells in a self-renewing state.”Writing in the journal Nature Communications, the Stanford team shows that royalactin increased the ability of mouse stem cells to renew themselves, suggesting the protein can have biological effects across species.
The scientists wondered whether a protein similar to the honeybees’ royalactin may be active in humans. After searching scientific databases, they found one that bore a similar structure. The protein is active in the earliest stages of human embryo development, when it is thought to build up the embryo’s supply of stem cells. When it came to naming the protein, Wang suggested Beyoncé – “a nice name for human queen bee” – but settled for regina, the Latin for queen.
“Everything points to this being a super important molecule,” said Wang. “We have identified an early self-renewal molecule that we think helps to establish the source cells for all of the embryo’s stem cells.”
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