Socializing with the neighbors: stem cells and their niche.

Cell. 2004 Mar 19;116(6):769-78.
Socializing with the neighbors: stem cells and their niche.
Fuchs E, Tumbar T, Guasch G.
Source
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021, USA. fuchslb@rockefeller.edu
Abstract
The potential of stem cells in regenerative medicine relies upon removing them from their natural habitat, propagating them in culture, and placing them into a foreign tissue environment. To do so, it is essential to understand how stem cells interact with their microenvironment, the so-called stem cell niche, to establish and maintain their properties. In this review, we examine adult stem cell niches and their impact on stem cell biology.
PMID:
15035980
[PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]