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Review
. 2008 Mar;15(1):51-8.
doi: 10.1677/ERC-07-0210.

Thyroid stem cells: lessons from normal development and thyroid cancer

Dolly Thomas  1 , Susan Friedman, Reigh-Yi Lin
Affiliations
Review

Thyroid stem cells: lessons from normal development and thyroid cancer

Dolly Thomas et al. Endocr Relat Cancer. 2008 Mar.

Abstract

Ongoing advances in stem cell research have opened new avenues for therapy for many human disorders. Until recently, however, thyroid stem cells have been relatively understudied. Here, we review what is known about thyroid stem cells and explore their utility as models of normal and malignant biological development. We also discuss the cellular origin of thyroid cancer stem cells and explore the clinical implications of cancer stem cells in the thyroid gland. Since thyroid cancer is the most common form of endocrine cancer and that thyroid hormone is needed for the growth and metabolism of each cell in the body, understanding the molecular and the cellular aspects of thyroid stem cell biology will ultimately provide insights into mechanisms underlying human disease.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The scheme demonstrates the hierarchy of stem cells. A totipoptent stem cell, such as a zygote, can give rise to all of the cell types in an entire body as well as the cell types that make up the extraembryonic tissues such as the amnion, the chorion, and the placenta. A pluripotent stem cell, such as an embryonic stem cell, can give rise to all of the cell types in the body but they cannot make extraembryonic tissues. A multipotent stem cell is a stem cell that has the ability to develop into more than one cell type. ICM, inner cell mass; ESC, embryonic stem cell; PGC, primordial germ cell; EGC, embryonic germ cell. (From Wobus & Boheler 2005, used with permission).
Figure 2
Figure 2
A scheme of ES cell differentiation depicting the development of definitive endoderm-derived cells by the treatment of activin A.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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