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Review
. 2008 Dec;86(12):1301-14.
doi: 10.1007/s00109-008-0383-6. Epub 2008 Jul 16.

Adult stem cells and their trans-differentiation potential--perspectives and therapeutic applications

Sabine Hombach-Klonisch  1 , Soumya Panigrahi, Iran Rashedi, Anja Seifert, Esteban Alberti, Paola Pocar, Maciej Kurpisz, Klaus Schulze-Osthoff, Andrzej Mackiewicz, Marek Los
Affiliations
Review

Adult stem cells and their trans-differentiation potential--perspectives and therapeutic applications

Sabine Hombach-Klonisch et al. J Mol Med (Berl). 2008 Dec.

Abstract

Stem cells are self-renewing multipotent progenitors with the broadest developmental potential in a given tissue at a given time. Normal stem cells in the adult organism are responsible for renewal and repair of aged or damaged tissue. Adult stem cells are present in virtually all tissues and during most stages of development. In this review, we introduce the reader to the basic information about the field. We describe selected stem cell isolation techniques and stem cell markers for various stem cell populations. These include makers for endothelial progenitor cells (CD146/MCAM/MUC18/S-endo-1, CD34, CD133/prominin, Tie-2, Flk1/KD/VEGFR2), hematopoietic stem cells (CD34, CD117/c-Kit, Sca1), mesenchymal stem cells (CD146/MCAM/MUC18/S-endo-1, STRO-1, Thy-1), neural stem cells (CD133/prominin, nestin, NCAM), mammary stem cells (CD24, CD29, Sca1), and intestinal stem cells (NCAM, CD34, Thy-1, CD117/c-Kit, Flt-3). Separate section provides a concise summary of recent clinical trials involving stem cells directed towards improvement of a damaged myocardium. In the last part of the review, we reflect on the field and on future developments.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Diagram illustrating plasticity of bone-marrow-derived cells
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Diagram illustrating the different mechanisms of cell fate switching in adult stem cells
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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