What does a stem cell niche do?

A stem-cell niche is an area of a tissue that provides a specific microenvironment, in which stem cells are present in an undifferentiated and self-renewable state. Cells of the stem-cell niche interact with the stem cells to maintain them or promote their differentiation.

What are the 5 stem cell niches in the human body?

Stem cell niches. In this figure are shown vertebrate and invertebrate stem cell niches along with their identified components. GSC: germinal stem cell; HSC: hematopoietic stem cell; ISC: intestinal stem cell; SVZ: sub-ventricular zone; SGZ: sub-granular zone; GFAP: glial fibrillary acidic protein.

What is stem cell plasticity?

Stem cell plasticity is the ability of adult tissue-specific stem cells to switch to new identities. The term plasticity also means stem cell phenotypic potential, which is broader than phenotypes of differentiated cells in their original tissues. Cell therapy is one of the methods to treat damaged myocardial tissue.

What is a bone stem cell niche?

The stem cell niche is composed of a specialized population of cells that plays an essential role in regulating adult stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. Sinusoidal endothelial cells in bone marrow have been revealed as an alternative HSC niche called the vascular niche.

What are the types of stem cell niche?

Examples

  • Germline.
  • GSC niche in Drosophila ovaries.
  • GSC niche in Drosophila testes.
  • GSC niche in mouse testes.
  • Vertebrate adult stem cell niches.
  • Hypoxia.
  • Epithelial–mesenchymal transition.
  • Inflammation.

What are the 6 locations of somatic stem cells in the human body?

1) From the body itself: Adult stem cells have been found in the brain, bone marrow, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin, teeth, heart, gut, liver, and other (although not all) organs and tissues.

What is the difference between adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells?

Embryonic stem cells are derived during early development at the blastocyst stage and are pluripotent, meaning that they can differentiate into any cell type. In contrast, adult stem cells are rare, undifferentiated cells present in many adult tissues.

What do bone niches produce?

Hierarchy and crosstalk in the HSC niche. In the adult bone marrow, MSPCs are responsible for the generation of mesenchymal lineage tissues such as bone, fat, and cartilage as well as bone marrow stromal cells, which constitute an environment that supports HSCs and hematopoiesis (Figure 2).

Why is the hematopoietic niche important?

This event requires a special environment, termed the hematopoietic stem cell niche, which provides the protection and signals necessary to carry out the differentiation of cells from HSC progenitors. This niche relocates from the yolk sac to eventually rest in the bone marrow of mammals.

What is the composition of stem cell niche?

Composition of the niche. Stem cell niches are complex, heterotypic, dynamic structures, which include different cellular components, secreted factors, immunological control, ECM, physical parameters and metabolic control. These aspects of the niche are described in more detail in Box 1.

How are stem cells controlled by their niche?

Studies on stem cells from diverse systems have shown that stem cell function is controlled by extracellular cues from the niche and by intrinsic genetic programs within the stem cell. Here, we review the remarkable progress recently made in research regarding the stem cell niche.

Which is the best site for stem cell research?

Stem cells are all over the web, but accurate, science-based content is rare. Welcome to The Niche, the longest-running and #1 ranked stem cell blog. Award-winning cell biologist Dr. Paul Knoepfler has run the site for 11 years. We do stem cell research ourselves and published papers so we’re experts.

Which is the longest running stem cell blog?

Welcome to The Niche, the longest-running and #1 ranked stem cell blog. Award-winning cell biologist Dr. Paul Knoepfler has run the site for 11 years. We do stem cell research ourselves and published papers so we’re experts. The Niche uniquely has no sponsored posts, and we battle dangerous hype.

How are niche factors related to the development of a fetus?

During embryonic development, various niche factors act on embryonic stem cells to alter gene expression, and induce their proliferation or differentiation for the development of the fetus. Within the human body, stem-cell niches maintain adult stem cells in a quiescent state, but after tissue injury,…