Review
Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 3, 187-194 (March 2002) | doi:10.1038/nrm761
How cells change their phenotype
David Tosh1 & Jonathan M. W. Slack1 About the authors
Abstract
Recent attention has focused on the remarkable ability of adult stem cells to produce differentiated cells from embryologically unrelated tissues. This phenomenon is an example of metaplasia and shows that embryological commitments can be reversed or erased under certain circumstances. In some cases, even fully differentiated cells can change their phenotype (transdifferentiation). This review examines recently discovered cases of metaplasia, and speculates on the potential molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie the switches, and their significance to developmental biology and medicine.
- View At a Glance
Author affiliations
- Developmental Biology Programme, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK.
Correspondence to: David Tosh1 Email: D.Tosh@bath.ac.uk
|
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated REFERENCE NEWS AND VIEWS RESEARCH |
-cells--a new approach for diabetes?
