Posted 8/5/2012 1:24 AM (GMT 0)
I came across this really exciting research about this gene called MYD88. Apparently it is the gene responsible for keeping the mucosal layer's integrity and its proper functioning as an innate immune barrier against the trillions of microorganisms in our colon.
The interesting finding is: Studies using bone marrow chimeras of Myd88-deficient and wild-type mice in several mouse models of colitis demonstrated that MyD88 signaling in hematopoietic cells was required for the development of intestinal inflammation, whereas MyD88 signaling in non-hematopoietic cells was required for host survival.
The hematopoietic stem cells, forms all the types of blood cells in the body. A second population, called bone marrow stromal stem cells (also called mesenchymal stem cells, or skeletal stem cells by some), were discovered a few years later. These non-hematopoietic stem cells make up a small proportion of the stromal cell population in the bone marrow, and can generate bone, cartilage, fat, cells that support the formation of blood, and fibrous connective tissue.
http://www.nature.com/mi/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/mi201223a.html
http://m.pnas.org/content/early/2010/10/28/1014669107
http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics4.asp