Advances in Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine

Stem Cell Niches

Stem cells constitute a source of self-renewing cells with a potential to differentiate into distinct tissues. In the embryo, these cells supply the multiple different cell lineages necessary to generate functional organs. Adult tissues retain somatic stem cells with capabilities for specific tissue turnover and repair. Embryonic and adult stem cell research has shown that stem cell fates are controlled by their specialized microenvironment, referred to as the stem cell niche, via direct cell-cell interactions and the molecular signals emitting from the niche.