by MacKenzie White, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research – Phys.Org –
Stem cells are the body’s ultimate shape-shifters, sustaining tissues by balancing two competing demands: maintaining their own population and generating specialized descendants. In many tissues, some early descendants can revert to a stem cell state through a process known as dedifferentiation. This ability can help replenish the stem cell pool when stem cells are lost.
Probing what makes stem cells unique
In a new study published in PNAS, researchers at Whitehead Institute identify two complementary mechanisms that allow cells to preserve stem cell potential while adopting distinct identities.
