title: Adult cell plasticity in vivo: de-differentiation and transdifferentiation are back in style.
abstract: Biologists have long been intrigued by the possibility that cells can change their identity, a phenomenon known as cellular plasticity. The discovery that terminally differentiated cells can be experimentally coaxed to become pluripotent has invigorated the field, and recent studies have demonstrated that changes in cell identity are not limited to the laboratory. Specifically, certain adult cells retain the capacity to de-differentiate or transdifferentiate under physiological conditions, as part of an organ's normal injury response. Recent studies have highlighted the extent to which cell plasticity contributes to tissue homeostasis, findings that have implications for cell-based therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 421 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Allyson J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Merrell
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 421 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Ben Z
authors.initials: BZ
authors.lastname: Stanger
mesh_terms: D053687:Adult Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D054337:Cell Dedifferentiation; D054338:Cell Transdifferentiation; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D012038:Regeneration; D015398:Signal Transduction