title: The evolving view of the hematopoietic stem cell niche.
abstract: Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) reside in specialized microenvironments known as niches. The niche is essential to support HSC function and to maintain a correct balance between self-renewal and differentiation. Recent advances in defining different mesenchymal and endothelial bone marrow cell populations, as well as hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, greatly enhanced our understanding of these niches and of the molecular mechanisms by which they regulate HSC function. In addition to the role in maintaining HSC homeostasis, the niche has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of blood disorders including hematological malignancies. Characterizing the extrinsic regulators and the cellular context in which the niches interact with HSCs will be crucial to define new strategies to enhance blood regeneration. Furthermore, a better understanding of the role of the niche in leukemia development will open new possibilities for the treatment of these disorders by using therapies aiming to target the leukemic niche specifically. To update on recent findings on this topic, the International Society for Experimental Hematology (ISEH) organized a webinar, presented by Prof. Sean J. Morrison and Dr. Simón Méndez-Ferrer and moderated by Dr. Cristina Lo Celso, entitled "The evolving view of the hematopoietic stem cell niche," which we summarize here.
authors.affiliation: Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. Electronic address: isabel.beerman@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Beerman
authors.affiliation: Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Tiago C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Luis
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sofie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singbrant
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, UK.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lo Celso
authors.affiliation: Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, and National Health Service Blood and Transplant, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Méndez-Ferrer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D006410:Hematopoiesis; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D010012:Osteogenesis; D055153:Stem Cell Niche / Q000502:physiology*