Abstract
Abstract It is evident that epithelial tissues are able to selfrenew
not only during normal homeostasis but also following
damage. How this occurs has major implications for the development
of therapies for degenerative conditions. While
not fully understood, tissue self-renewal through the activation
of endogenous stem cells is a likely possibility, however,
regeneration through replication of pre-existing transit amplifying
or mature cells may also occur. The current consensus
is that stem cells reside in tissue-specific niches that are
important in maintaining the stem cell state and exposing the
cells to various differentiation signals. A comparative analysis
of these niches from diverse tissue types has revealed
similarities in signaling pathways for the maintenance, lineage
determination, and differentiation of epithelial stem
cells, but also has shown discrete differences. This review
examines these issues, with a particular focus on the development
of thymic epithelial cells. Understanding the nature
of epithelial stem cell self-renewal and differentiation and
the niches in which they reside will have important future
clinical implications in regenerative medicine.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Regulatory Networks in Stem Cells |
| Editors | V K Rajasekhar, M C Vemuri |
| Place of Publication | Germany |
| Publisher | Humana Press |
| Pages | 405 - 437 |
| Number of pages | 33 |
| Edition | 1st |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781603272261 |
| Publication status | Published - 2009 |