Intravital microscopy reveals how the niche can induce stemness

摘要

Stem cells are a critical componentof most multicellular organisms as theyare responsible for maintaining tissueturnover throughout the lifetime of theorganism. This is such a fundamentalmechanism of life that it is conservedfrom worms to humans. Loss of stemcells is associated with severe diseases andloss of stem cell function is at the heartof aging. Understanding the mechanismsresponsible to ensure stem cell function iscritical to harness their potential to cureand prevent an extremely wide range ofdiseases. In fact, regenerative medicine hasattracted vast enthusiasm as it promises torevolutionize our health expectations in asimilar way that the discovery of antibioics did to survive infections.