Multi-lineage 'stem' cells in the mammalian embryo.
The term 'stem' cell has acquired a rather more restricted meaning in cell biology than in embryology as a result of studies on the growth kinetics of renewing tissues in mature organisms. It is normally used in an embryological context as a synonym for 'progenitor' cell. Methods of establishing the existence of multi-lineage progenitor cells in mammals are examined briefly before the occurrence and properties of such cells in both embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues of the mouse conceptus are reviewed. Various attributes of 'stem' cells that can be obtained from outgrowths of blastocysts in vitro are also discussed.
Gardner
R L
RL
Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK.
Beddington
R S
RS
D000818:Animals; D004475:Ectoderm / Q000166:cytology; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology*; D004707:Endoderm / Q000166:cytology; D008322:Mammals / Q000196:embryology*; D051379:Mice; D009024:Morphogenesis; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000166:cytology