title: The molecular repertoire of the 'almighty' stem cell.
abstract: Stem cells share the defining characteristics of self-renewal, which maintains or expands the stem-cell pool, and multi-lineage differentiation, which generates and regenerates tissues. Stem-cell self-renewal and differentiation are influenced by the convergence of intrinsic cellular signals and extrinsic microenvironmental cues from the surrounding stem-cell niche, but the specific signals involved are poorly understood. Recently, several studies have sought to identify the genetic mechanisms that underlie the stem-cell phenotype. Such a molecular road map of stem-cell function should lead to an understanding of the true potential of stem cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Craig E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Eckfeldt
authors.forename: Eric M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Mendenhall
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Verfaillie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D019070:Cell Lineage; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*