A Twist of Cell Fate

A simpler twist of fate.

Until the day it dies, a cell that has become a skin cell remains a skin cell — or so scientists used to think. Over the past decade, it has become clear that cellular identity is not written in stone but can be rewritten by activating specific genetic programs. Today, the field of regenerative medicine faces a question: should this rewriting take the conventional route, in which mature cells a...

A twist of proepicardial fate.

Bcr-Abl adds another twist to cell fate.

(ie, IL-15) and growth signals clearly play a role in T-cell proliferation and function. 7 Finally, in its effort to answer a very specific question regarding the role of sIL-2R␣, the present article is not able to address the malignant lymphoma B-cell population itself and how it interacts with intratumoral T cells. Nevertheless, this report by Yang and colleagues is the first to describe the ...

Stem cell decisions: A twist of fate or a niche market?

Establishing and maintaining cell fate in the right place at the right time is a key requirement for normal tissue maintenance. Stem cells are at the core of this process. Understanding how stem cells balance self-renewal and production of differentiating cells is key for understanding the defects that underpin many diseases. Both, external cues from the environment and cell intrinsic mechanism...

Secondary Malignant Transformation of Giant Cell Tumor of Bone: Is It a Fate?

The malignant transformation of conventional giant cell tumor of bone (GCTOB) is rare and usually occurs with irradiation. Here we report two neglected cases of conventional GCTOB with spontaneous malignant transformation at 11 and 16 years after initial diagnosis. In the former case, the patient refused to receive any treatment following the incisional biopsy, and in the latter, the firs...