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Honeybee protein keeps stem cells young
Royal jelly is a substance produced by honeybees to feed queen bees and their young.
Researchers investigate the benefits of royal jelly

A mammalian protein similar to the active component of honeybee royal jelly can keep stem cells youthful, according to new research.

The study, published in Nature Communications, found that the protein causes cells to remain pluripotent. This means they are able to give rise to several different types of cells, under conditions that would normally cause them to grow into specialised cells.

Researchers say the finding is likely to fuel the thousand-year debate as to the healing powers of royal jelly. It also unveils new pathways to pluripotency and shows new ways to keep stem cells in a state of suspended animation until needed for future therapies.

“In folklore, royal jelly is kind of like a super-medicine, particularly in Asia and Europe,” said senior author Kevin Wang. “But the DNA sequence of Royalactin, the active component in the jelly, is unique to honeybees. Now, we’ve identified a structurally similar mammalian protein that can maintain stem cell pluripotency.”

Royal jelly is a substance produced by honeybees to feed queen bees and their young. When a queen dies, worker bees select a few female larvae to nurture with royal jelly during their development.

During the first few days of development, all bees are fed with royal jelly - a substance composed of water, proteins and sugars. But worker bees are soon switched to a combination of royal jelly, honey and pollen.

In the study, Wang and his team from Stanford University set out to see how a royal jelly diet could give rise to the extreme differences between queen bees and much smaller workers. They applied the active component Royalactin to mouse embryonic stem cells, and then studied the cells’ response.

They found that the addition of Royalactin stopped the embryonic stem cells from differentiating. This occurred even in the absence of inhibitors, which are often added in the laboratory to stop stem cells transforming into specialised cells.

Next, Wang searched a database to see if he could find another protein in mammals that resembles the structure of Royalactin. He found the mammalian protein NHLRC3, which is produced early in embryonic development in all animals.

Like Royalactin, NHLRC3 was able to maintain pluripotent in mouse embryonic cells. The researchers named the protein Regina, after the Latin word for queen.

The team now aims to explore if Regina has any therapeutic value in wound healing or cell regeneration in adult animals. 

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.