Review

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 6, 726-737 (September 2005) | doi:10.1038/nrm1713

The molecular repertoire of the 'almighty' stem cell

Craig E. Eckfeldt1,2, Eric M. Mendenhall1,2 & Catherine M. Verfaillie1  About the authors

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Stem cells share the defining characteristics of self-renewal, which maintains or expands the stem-cell pool, and multi-lineage differentiation, which generates and regenerates tissues. Stem-cell self-renewal and differentiation are influenced by the convergence of intrinsic cellular signals and extrinsic microenvironmental cues from the surrounding stem-cell niche, but the specific signals involved are poorly understood. Recently, several studies have sought to identify the genetic mechanisms that underlie the stem-cell phenotype. Such a molecular road map of stem-cell function should lead to an understanding of the true potential of stem cells.

Author affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine and Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
  2. These authors contributed equally to this work.

Correspondence to: Catherine M. Verfaillie1 Email: verfa001@umn.edu

Published online 15 August 2005

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