Epidermal homeostasis: do committed progenitors work while stem cells sleep?
Tracking the fate of cells in murine epidermis in vivo has revealed that a committed progenitor cell population can maintain normal adult tissue in the long term without support from a long-lived, self-renewing population of stem cells. Here, we argue that these results challenge the dogma that stem-cell proliferation is required for the cellular homeostasis of the epidermis and other adult tissues, with important implications for tissue physiology and disease.
Jones
Philip
P
Philip Jones is at the MRC Cancer Cell Unit, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Cambridge, CB2 2XZ, UK. phj20@hutchison-mrc.cam.ac.uk
Simons
Benjamin D
BD
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000254:growth & development*; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D013234:Stem Cells