Mouse cancer Genetics Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702 USA.
Curr Med Chem. 2012;19(35):5965-74. doi: 10.2174/092986712804485917.
Stem cells have an essential role in tissue homeostasis, repair, and regeneration of a tissue or an organ. Stem cells are immature cells having unlimited ability of self-renewal and capacity to differentiate into specialized cell types. Proper regulation of these dual properties is critical in animal development, growth control, and reproduction. Accumulating evidences suggest that stem cell behavior is regulated by both extracellular signals from the niche cells and intrinsic signal within stem cells. Using diverse model systems, tremendous work has been done to understand how niche control the stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. This review presents the progress made in stem cell niche field in germline and somatic stem cells in lower organism and mammals. The knowledge gained by studying the stem cells and its niches in diverse model organisms and the molecular mechanisms regulate their behavior are vital in understanding tissue homeostasis, regeneration, aging and cancer in humans.
干细胞在组织稳态、组织或器官的修复和再生中具有重要作用。干细胞是不成熟的细胞，具有无限的自我更新能力和分化为特化细胞类型的能力。这些双重特性的适当调节对于动物发育、生长控制和生殖至关重要。越来越多的证据表明，干细胞行为受到来自龛细胞的细胞外信号和干细胞内固有信号的调节。利用多种模型系统，已经进行了大量工作来了解龛如何控制干细胞的自我更新和分化。本综述介绍了在低等生物和哺乳动物的生殖系和体干细胞中，干细胞龛领域的进展。通过研究不同模型生物中的干细胞及其龛以及调节其行为的分子机制，获得的知识对于理解人类组织稳态、再生、衰老和癌症至关重要。
