Stem cell side show

blastema cells derived from rabbit ear show stem cell characteristics

abstract regeneration is a biological phenomenon, which takes place via two main mechanisms: first, dedifferentiation of mature cells followed by their differentiation into functional new cells and second, activation of endogenous somatic stem cells for regeneration of damaged or lost tissues. one of the best examples of healing process in mammals is the regeneration of damaged pinna in rabbits...

Bionanoelectronics: viruses show their good side.

V iruses have a bad reputation regardless of where we fi nd them — be they in our bodies or in our computers. But on page 72 of this issue, Yang Yang and colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles1 report that tobacco mosaic viruses (TMV) with platinum nanoparticles attached to them could be used as a nanoscale memory device that can be switched on and off electronically. Even thou...

Stem Cells Show Parental Control

Stem cells interact with their niche to maintain an undifferentiated state. The study by Pardo-Saganta et al. shows that airway basal stem cells maintain secretory daughter cells in airway epithelia through forward regulation, suggesting that stem cells may serve as a niche for their progeny.

The Dark Side of Pluripotency – Cancer Stem Cell

Microglia as a stem cell

Microglia is considered the only cell population of mesodermal origin, which comprises 10% of the cells in brain parenchyma. Recent neural stem cell (NSC) studies demonstrate that the brain has regenerative potential. NSCs do not give rise to microglial cells, however indicating that NSCs alone cannot complete the regenetion of the brain. Although the role of microglia is not fully understood, ...