The mesenchymal stromal cell contribution to homeostasis
Author(s) -
Valtieri Mauro,
Sorrentino Antonio
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of cellular physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.529
H-Index - 174
eISSN - 1097-4652
pISSN - 0021-9541
DOI - 10.1002/jcp.21521
Subject(s) - mesenchymal stem cell , stromal cell , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , stem cell , adipose tissue , regenerative medicine , bone marrow , adipogenesis , haematopoiesis , immunology , cancer research , endocrinology
Abstract Adult mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are undifferentiated multi‐potent cells predominantly residing in the bone marrow (BM), but also present with similar but not identical features in many other tissues such as blood, placenta, dental pulp, and adipose tissue. MSCs have the potential to differentiate into multiple skeletal phenotypes like osteoblasts, chondrocytes, adipocytes, stromal cells, fibroblasts, and possibly tendons. MSCs differentiation potential, ex vivo expansion capacity, nurturing and immunomodulatory proficiencies oriented these versatile cells in several areas of ongoing clinical applications. However, the absence of MSC‐specific markers for isolation and characterization together with the lack of a comprehensive view of the molecular pathways governing their particular biological properties, remains a primary obstacle to their research and application. In this review we discuss some areas of growing interest in MSCs biology: their contribution to the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niche, to regenerative medicine, their role in cancer and in therapy as delivery tools and their micro‐RNA (miRNA) signatures. Despite rapid progress in the MSC field, it is generally thought that only a fraction of their full potential has been realized thus far. J. Cell. Physiol. 217: 296–300, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.