Hubrecht Institute, KNAW and University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
EMBO Rep. 2011 Feb;12(2):113-22. doi: 10.1038/embor.2010.216. Epub 2011 Jan 21.
The maintenance of stem-cell-driven tissue homeostasis requires a balance between the generation and loss of cell mass. Adult stem cells have a close relationship with the surrounding tissue--known as their niche--and thus, stem-cell studies should preferably be performed in a physiological context, rather than outside their natural environment. The mouse is an attractive model in which to study adult mammalian stem cells, as numerous experimental systems and genetic tools are available. In this review, we describe strategies commonly used to identify and functionally characterize adult stem cells in mice and discuss their potential, limitations and interpretations, as well as how they have informed our understanding of adult stem-cell biology. An accurate interpretation of physiologically relevant stem-cell assays is crucial to identify adult stem cells and elucidate how they self-renew and give rise to differentiated progeny.
维持干细胞驱动的组织稳态需要在细胞质量的产生和损失之间取得平衡。成体干细胞与周围组织（称为其生态位）密切相关，因此，最好在生理环境中进行干细胞研究，而不是在其自然环境之外进行。由于存在许多实验系统和遗传工具，因此小鼠是研究成年哺乳动物干细胞的一种有吸引力的模型。在这篇综述中，我们描述了常用于鉴定和功能表征小鼠中成体干细胞的策略，并讨论了它们的潜力、局限性和解释，以及它们如何帮助我们理解成体干细胞生物学。准确解释与生理相关的干细胞测定对于鉴定成体干细胞并阐明它们如何自我更新以及产生分化后代至关重要。
