Introducing stem cells

Dearspeaker
This presentation is intended as a flexible tool for scientists, science communicators and
educators. Not all the slides will be useful for any one occasion. Choose the ones most
suitable for your audience, mix them with your own slides, or just use the diagrams.

Contents
Stem cell biology basics: For school students aged 16+, or adult public with little or
no scientific knowledge
Cloning: For adult public with little or no scientific knowledge; initial slides also
suitable for students aged 16+
Stem cell biology in more detail: For informed non-specialist audiences, e.g.
clinicians, scientists working in fields other than stem cell biology.

Presenters notes
Each slide in the Basics and Cloning sections includes notes that give a simple, jargonfree explanation of the key points. The more detailed slides in the last section have much
briefer notes and assume some knowledge of stem cell science.

Further information and resources

The 15-minute film, A Stem Cell Story provides an excellent introduction to stem cells
and covers many of the concepts presented here. See www.eurostemcell.org/films
Got a question or a comment? Contact us at http://www.eurostemcell.org/contact

Stem cell biology basics

Alifestory

Alifestory
Humandevelopmentstartswithjust1cell thefertilizedegg.Thiscelldividesto
produce2daughtercells.Thesedaughtersdivide,andtheirdaughtersdivideagain,and
soon.Thereareagreatmanysteps neededtoformanadultbody,orevenababy.
Alongtheway,lotsofdifferenttypesofcellsmustbemade.

Whatisastemcell?
stemcell

SELFRENEWAL
(copying)

stemcell

DIFFERENTIATION
(specializing)

specializedcell
e.g.musclecell,nervecell

Whatisastemcell?
Note:Thenextslideprovidesanalternativeversionofthisdiagramthatsomeyoungeraudiencesmayfind
easiertounderstand.Itaimstoavoidthemisconceptionthatastemcellalwaysmakesonecopyof
itselfandonespecializedcellwhenitdivides(seebelow).The conceptofastemcellisverywell
explainedintheshortfilm,AStemCellStory atwww.eurostemcell.org/films
Whatthediagramshows
Stemcellsaredifferentfromothercellsofthebodybecausestemcellscanboth:
1) Selfrenew:Makecopiesofthemselves
AND
2)Differentiate:Makeothertypesofcells specializedcellsofthebody.
Specialized ordifferentiated cellsplayparticularrolesinthebody,e.g.bloodcells,nervecells,muscle
cells.Specializedcellscannotdividetomakecopiesofthemselves.Thismakesstemcellsvery
important.Thebodyneedsstemcellstoreplacespecializedcellsthatdie,aredamagedorgetused
up.
Celldivision possiblequestions
1)16+yearoldstudentsmayrememberlearningabout2kindsofcelldivision mitosisandmeiosis.They
mayhavelearntthatmitosishappensinwoundhealingortoreplaceshortlivedcells,butprobably
wonthavediscussedstemcellsinthiscontext.Youmighttherefore needtoexplainthatmost
specializedcellscannotundergomitosis.Thereareafewexceptions(e.g.livercellsorTcells)butin
generalspecializedcellscannolongerdivide.Skincells,redbloodcellsorgutliningcellscannot
undergomitosis.Stemcellsdodividebymitosisandthismakesthemveryimportantforreplacing
lostordamagedspecializedcells.
2)Shouldmitosisbediscussed,youmaywishtonotethefollowing:Inmitosis,theDNAinthedaughter
cellsisidenticaltotheDNAinthedividingcell.Thisistrue fordividingstemcells,bothinselfrenewal
andindifferentiation.Indifferentiation,thedaughtercellsaremorespecializedthantheoriginal
stemcell.So,thedaughtercellsbehavedifferentlyeventhough theyhavethesameDNAasthestem
cell.Thisisbecausetherearelotsofothermoleculesinsideandaroundthecellsthatcanchangethe
waythecellsbehave.
3)ScientiststhinkthatwhenhumanstemcellsdividetheyprobablymakeEITHERtwostemcells,ORtwo
morespecializedcells.Infruitflies,stemcellscandivideto makeonestemcellandonemore
specializedcellinasingledivision.

Whatisastemcell?
Stem cell

SELFRENEWAL
(copying)

Identical stem cells

Stem cell

DIFFERENTIATION
(specializing)

Specialized cells

Whatisastemcell?
Note:Thepreviousslideprovidesanalternativeversionofthisdiagram.Theconceptofastemcellisvery
wellexplainedintheshortfilm,AStemCellStory atwww.eurostemcell.org/films
Whatthediagramshows
Stemcellsaredifferentfromothercellsofthebodybecausestemcellscanboth:
1. Selfrenew:Makecopiesofthemselves
AND
2.Differentiate:Makeothertypesofcells specializedcellsofthebody.
Specialized ordifferentiated cellsplayparticularrolesinthebody,e.g.bloodcells,nervecells,muscle
cells.Specializedcellscannotdividetomakecopiesofthemselves.Thismakesstemcellsvery
important.Thebodyneedsstemcellstoreplacespecializedcellsthatdie,aredamagedorgetused
up.
Celldivision possiblequestions
1)16+yearoldstudentsmayrememberlearningabout2kindsofcelldivision mitosisandmeiosis.They
mayhavelearntthatmitosishappensinwoundhealingortoreplaceshortlivedcells,butprobably
wonthavediscussedstemcellsinthiscontext.Youmighttherefore needtoexplainthatmost
specializedcellscannotundergomitosis.Thereareafewexceptions(e.g.livercellsorTcells)butin
generalspecializedcellscannolongerdivide.Skincells,redbloodcellsorgutliningcellscannot
undergomitosis.Stemcellsdodividebymitosisandthismakesthemveryimportantforreplacing
lostordamagedspecializedcells.
2) Shouldmitosisbediscussed,youmaywishtonotethefollowing: Inmitosis,theDNAinthedaughter
cellsisidenticaltotheDNAinthedividingcell.Thisistrue fordividingstemcells,bothinselfrenewal
andindifferentiation.Indifferentiation,thedaughtercellsaremorespecializedthantheoriginal
stemcell.So,thedaughtercellsbehavedifferentlyeventhough theyhavethesameDNAasthestem
cell.Thisisbecausetherearelotsofothermoleculesinsideandaroundthecellsthatcanchangethe
waythecellsbehave.
3)ScientiststhinkthatwhenhumanstemcellsdividetheyprobablymakeEITHERtwostemcells,ORtwo
morespecializedcells.Infruitflies,stemcellscandivideto makeonestemcellandonemore
specializedcellinasingledivision.

WhyselfrenewANDdifferentiate?
1stemcell

1stemcell
Selfrenewal maintains
thestemcellpool

4specializedcells
Differentiation replacesdeadordamaged
cellsthroughoutyourlife

WhyselfrenewANDdifferentiate?
1)Selfrenewalisneededbecauseifthestemcellsdidntcopythemselves,youwould
quicklyrunout.Itisimportantforthebodytomaintainapool ofstemcellstouse
throughoutyourlife.
2)Differentiationisimportantbecausespecializedcellsareusedup,damagedordieall
thetimeduringyourlife.Specializedcellscannotdivideandmakecopiesof
themselves,buttheyneedtobereplacedforyourbodytocarryonworking.For
example,yourbodyneeds100,000millionnewbloodcellseveryday.Ofcourse,
differentiationisalsoimportantformakingallthedifferentkindsofcellinthebody
duringdevelopmentofanembryofromasinglefertilizedegg.
Possiblequestionsormisconceptions
1)Schoolstudentsmayhavelearntsimplythatcellsundergomitosistomakecopiesof
themselvestohealwoundsorreplacebloodcells.Youmayneedtoexplainthat
specializedcellslikeskin,redbloodorgutcellscannotundergomitosis,whichiswhy
youneedstemcells.Thereareafewexceptions(e.g.livercellsorTcells)butin
generalspecializedcellscannolongerdivide.Foradultaudiences,thiscouldbe
expandedtocovertheideathatthereareintermediatecells(progenitors)between
stemcellsandspecializedcellsthatdividetoallowalargenumberofnewcellstobe
made(seeslide26onrenewingtissues)
2)Scientiststhinkthatstemcellsinthehumanbodydontgenerallydividetoproduce
onestemcellandonespecializedcellatthesametime.Theyprobablydivideto
makeEITHERtwostemcells,ORtwomorespecializedcells.Infruitflies,stemcells
candividetomakeonestemcellandonemorespecializedcell.

Wherearestemcellsfound?

embryonicstemcells
blastocyst averyearly
embryo

tissuestemcells
fetus,babyandthroughoutlife

Wherearestemcellsfound?
Therearedifferenttypesofstemcells:
Embryonicstemcells:foundintheblastocyst,averyearlystageembryothathasabout
50to100cells;
Tissuestemcells:foundinthetissuesofthebody(inafetus, baby,childoradult).
(Tissuestemcellsaresometimesreferredtoasadultstemcells,eventhoughtheyare
foundinthefetusandinbabies,aswellasinadults.)

Types of stem cell:

1) Embryonic stem cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells:

Where we find them
blastocyst
cellsinside
=innercellmass

embryonicstemcellstakenfrom
theinnercellmass

fluidwithnutrients

cultureinthelab
togrowmorecells

outerlayerofcells
=trophectoderm

Embryonicstemcells:Wheretheycomefrom
Embryonicstem(ES)cellsaretakenfrominsidetheblastocyst,averyearlystage
embryo.Theblastocyst isaballofabout50100cellsanditisnotyetimplantedinthe
womb.Itismadeupofanouterlayerofcells,afluidfilledspaceandagroupofcells
calledtheinnercellmass.EScellsarefoundintheinnercell mass.
Forasimple,clearexplanationofhowembryonicstemcellsareobtained,watchthe
film,AStemCellStory,atwww.eurostemcell.org/films

10

Embryonic stem (ES) cells:

What they can do

differentiation
embryonicstemcells

PLURIPOTENT

allpossibletypesofspecializedcells

Embryonicstemcells:Whattheycando
Embryonicstemcellsareexcitingbecausetheycanmakeallthedifferenttypesofcellin
thebody scientistssaythesecellsarepluripotent.

11

Embryonic stem (ES) cells:

Challenges

gr

sA
ition
d
n
o
rc
nde
ow u

grow under cond

embryonicstemcells

itions B
grow
und
erco
nditi
gro
onsC
w
un
de
rc
on
dit
ion
sD

skin

neurons

blood

liver

Embryonicstemcells:Challenges
Scientistsaroundtheworldaretryingtounderstandhowandwhy embryonicstemcells
produceskin,blood,nerveoranyotherparticularkindofspecializedcell.Whatcontrols
theprocesssothatthestemcellsmaketherightamountofeach celltype,attheright
time?
Thebigchallengeforscientistsistolearnhowtocontrolthesefascinatingcells.Ifwe
couldforceembryonicstemcellstomakewhateverkindofcellwewant,thenwewould
haveapowerfultoolfordevelopingtreatmentsfordisease.Forexample,perhapswe
couldgrownewinsulinproducingcellstotransplantintoapatientwithdiabetes.But
thereisagreatdealtolearnbeforesuchtherapiescanbedeveloped.Scientistsalso
wanttousestemcellsto:
Understandhowdiseasesdevelop(diseasemodelling)
Testdrugsinthelaboratory

12

Types of stem cell:

2) Tissue stem cells

13

Tissue stem cells:

Where we find them
surfaceoftheeye

skin

testicles

brain

breast

intestines(gut)

bonemarrow
muscles

Tissuestemcells:Wherewefindthem
Weallhavestemcellsinourbodiesallthetime.Theyareessentialforkeepingusfit
andhealthy.Theyreplacecellsthataredamagedorusedup.Scientistsarestilllearning
aboutallthedifferentkindsoftissuestemcellsfoundinour bodiesandhowtheywork.

14

Tissue stem cells:

What they can do

bloodstemcell
differentiation
foundin
bonemarrow

MULTIPOTENT

onlyspecializedtypesofbloodcell:
redbloodcells,whitebloodcells,
platelets

Tissuestemcells:Whattheycando
Tissuestemcellscanoftenmakeseveralkindsofspecializedcell,buttheyaremore
limitedthanembryonicstemcells.TissuestemcellscanONLYmakethekindsofcell
foundinthetissuetheybelongto.So,bloodstemcellscanonlymakethedifferent
kindsofcellfoundintheblood.Brainstemcellscanonlymake differenttypesofbrain
cell.Musclestemcellscan onlymakemusclecells.Andsoforth.
Scientistssaythattissuestemcellsaremultipotent becausetheycanmakemultiple
typesofspecializedcell,butNOTallthekindsofcellinyour body.

15

Types of stem cell:

3)Induced pluripotent (iPS)
stem cells

16

Inducedpluripotentstemcells(iPS cells)
geneticreprogramming
=addcertaingenestothecell
cellfromthebody

inducedpluripotentstem(iPS)cell
behaveslikeanembryonicstemcell

differentiation
cultureiPS cellsinthelab

Advantage:noneedforembryos!

allpossibletypesof
specializedcells

Inducedpluripotentstemcells(iPS cells)
Note:Thisslidecontainsalotofinformationandmaybetoocomplexforsome
audiencesunlessthereisplentyoftimeforexplanationsanddiscussions.
WhatareiPS cells?
In2006,scientistsdiscoveredthatitispossibletomakeanew kindofstemcellinthe
laboratory.Theyfoundthattheycouldtransformskincellsfrom amouseintocells
thatbehavejustlikeembryonicstemcells.In2007,researchers didthiswithhuman
cellstoo.Thenewstemcellsthataremadeinthelabarecalledinducedpluripotent
stemcells.Justlikeembryonicstemcells,theycanmakeallthedifferenttypesof
cellinthebody sowesaytheyarepluripotent.
Makinginducedpluripotentstem(iPS)cellsisabitliketurningbacktime.Scientistsadd
particulargenestocellsfromthebodytomakethembehavelike embryonicstem
cells.Genesgivecellsinstructionsabouthowtobehave.So,thisprocessisabitlike
changingtheinstructionsinacomputerprogramme tomakethecomputerdoanew
task.ScientistscalltheprocesstheyusetomakeiPS cellsgeneticreprogramming.
Whyaretheyexciting?
ResearchershopethatonedaytheymightbeabletouseiPS cellstohelptreatdiseases
likeParkinsonsorAlzheimers.Theyhopeto:
1) Takecellsfromthebody likeskincells fromapatient
2) MakeiPS cells
3) UsethoseiPS cellstogrowthespecializedcellsthepatientneedstorecoverfrom
thedisease,e.g.certainbraincells.Thesecellswouldbemade fromthepatients
ownskincellssothebodywouldnotrejectthem.
Thereisalongwaytogobeforescientistscandothis,butiPS cellsareanexciting
discovery.

17

Inducedpluripotentstemcells(iPS cells)
geneticreprogramming
pluripotentstemcell
(iPS)

cellfromthebody(skin)

differentiation

Inducedpluripotentstemcells(iPS cells)
Thisisanalternativerepresentationofthesameinformationas onthepreviousslide.
Pleaseseethepreviousexplanatorynotes.

18

Stemcelljargon
Potency

Ameasureofhowmanytypesofspecializedcellastemcell
can make

Pluripotent

Canmakeall typesofspecializedcellsinthebody
Embryonicstemcellsarepluripotent

Multipotent Canmakemultiple typesofspecializedcells,butnotalltypes

Tissuestemcellsaremultipotent

Stemcelljargon
Scientistsusethewordspluripotent andmultipotent tohelpthemdescribestemcells.
ALLstemcellscanbothselfrenewanddifferentiate,BUTsomestemcellscanmake
morekindsofspecializedcellsthanothers.Thetermsontheslidearethekeyonesto
remember.Therearealsostemcellsthatare:
TOTIPOTENT:candifferentiateintoalltypesofspecializedcellsinthebodyPLUScells
thatareneededduringdevelopmentoftheembryoonly:placenta, yolksac,umbilical
cord.
UNIPOTENT:canonlydifferentiateintoonetypeofspecializedcell.Forexample,
spermatogonial stemcells(foundinthetesticles)areunipotent becausetheycanonly
formspermcells.
Ausefulplacetolookupotherwordsandphrasestodowithstemcellsisthe
EuroStemCell onlineglossary:www.eurostemcell.org/glossary

19

Cloning

20

Cloning
TherearetwoVERYdifferenttypesofcloning:
Reproductivecloning

Molecularcloning
gene1
gene2

Usetomaketwoidenticalindividuals

Usetostudywhatagenedoes

Verydifficulttodo

Routineinthebiologylabs

Illegaltodoonhumans

Cloning
Whenmostpeoplethinkofcloning,theythinkoftheideaofmakingacopyofan
individual ananimalorevenaperson.Thisiscalledreproductivecloning.Ithitthe
headlinesinthelate1990swhenDollythesheep wascloned.Shewasthefirst
mammalevertobecloned.
Infact,thiskindofcloningisverydifficulttodoanditisillegaleventotrytoclonea
humanbeing.
Thereisanothertypeofcloningthatmanybiologistsdoeveryday:molecularcloning.
Thisisatechniqueusedtohelpscientistsinvestigatewhatparticulargenesdoandhow
theywork.
Thefollowingslidesexplaintheseprocessesinmoredetail.

21

Reproductivecloning

cellfromthebody

egg
removenucleus
andtakethe
restofthecell

takethenucleus
(containingDNA)

Clone
identicaltotheindividual
thatgavethenucleus
Dollythesheep

Reproductivecloning
Dollythesheepwasthefirstclonedmammal.TomakeDolly,scientiststookthenucleus
outofanormalcellfromasheep.Theyputthatnucleusintoan eggcellthathadno
nucleus. Theythenhadanewcell.Tomakethenewcellstarttodivideandgrow,they
gaveitanelectricshock.Thenitstartedtodivideanddevelopintoan embryo.Whenit
hadgrownintoaveryearlystageembryocalledablastocyst aballofjust50100cells
itwasimplantedintothewombofanothersheepsothatitcouldgrowintoalamb
andbeborn.Thenewsheepisacloneofthesheepfromwhichthenucleuswastaken
atthestartoftheprocess.BothsheephavethesameDNA.
Notonlysheephavebeencloned.Scientistshavenowclonedmany differentanimals,
includingmice,cats,dogs,frogs,goats,horses,pigs,rabbitsandothers.However,itisa
difficultprocessanddoesnotalwayswork.Itisillegaltocloneahumanbeinginthis
way.

22

Molecular cloning: Principles

1)TakeDNAoutofthenucleus
gene1
cell1

gene2
cell2

2)MakeanewpieceofDNA
gene1

gene1
gene2

gene2

3)Put newDNAintoatestcellandgrowcopies
gene1

Daughtercells
containsameDNA:

gene2
insertnewDNA

celldivides

Genes1and2have
beencloned

Molecularcloning:Principles
Molecularcloningisaprocessusedbyscientiststomakecopies ofaparticulargeneor
genesinsideacell.Theyusethetechniquetofindoutmoreaboutwhatcertain
genesdoorhowtheywork.Molecularcloningisdoneroutinelyinlaboratories
today.Itinvolvesseveralsteps:
1) TaketheDNAoutofacell.
2) Cutoutthegeneyouareinterestedin(gene2inthisexample). Insertitintoastrand
ofDNAtakenfromanothercell.Thegeneisnotliterallycutoutwithaknifeor
scissors carefullychosenenzymesbreaktheDNAchainatparticularpoints.More
enzymesareusedtoinsertthegeneintoanotherpieceofDNAat exactlytheright
place(inthisexample,nexttogene1).
3) OnceyouhavemadeapieceofDNAcontainingthegeneyouwanttostudy,put
yournewDNAintoatestcell.Whenthecelldivides,itmakescopiesofitself.Each
newdaughtercellcontainsanexactcopyoftheDNAinyourtest cell,including
genes1and2.Thegeneshavethereforebeencopiedandwesaytheyhavebeen
cloned.
Thisisasimplifieddescriptionofthetechnique.Therearesomeintermediatesteps
involvedandthedetailsofthetechniquecanvary,butthisschemeillustratesthe
keyprinciple,i.e.weareabletomakecellscontainingparticulargenesinorderto
findoutwhatthosegenesdo.Someexamplesofhowthistechniquecanbeusedare
givenonthenextslide.

23

Molecular cloning: Applications

Lossoffunction

Reportergene

Lineagetracing

removeagenetoseeif
anythingworksdifferently

addagenethatshows
uswhenanothergeneis
working

markagroupofcellsto
seewheretheir
daughtercellsendup

geneisactiveinblue
areasonly

geneispassedon
tocellsalloverthebody

eye

Normal mouse
embryo

geneAmissing

geneisinvolvedin
givingtheeyeitscolour

Molecularcloning:Applications
Molecularcloningisanimportanttoolusedbyscientiststolearnmoreabouttheroles
ofgenesindevelopmentanddisease.Someexamplesofhowmolecularcloningcanbe
usedinthelabare:
Lossoffunction(oftencalledgeneknockout): acommontechniquethathasbeen
veryusefulinhelpingscientistsunderstandhowparticulargenesareinvolvedindisease.
Ageneisremoved orblockedsothatitdoesnotwork,andthenscientistswatchtosee
whathappens.Thishasbeenofsuchwidebenefitforscienceandmedicinethat the
scientistswhodevelopedthistechnologywereawardedtheNobelPrizeforMedicinein
2007.
Reportergene: thisgenerallyinvolvesusingcolour tohelpscientistseasilyseewhena
particulargeneisworking.Areportergene isaddedtotheDNAofcells.Thisreporter
genemakesthecellsproduceacoloured protein forexample,ablueprotein.The
reportergeneisputintothecells DNArightnexttoanothergene(genex)that
scientistsreallywanttoinvestigate. Wherevergenexisactive(orswitchedon)ina
cell,thereportergeneisalsoactive.Thismeansthecellmakestheblueproteinand
looksblue.So,itiseasytoseewhichcells haveanactivegenexbecausethosecellsare
blue.
Lineagetracing: thisinvolveslookingtoseewhathappenstoa cellsdaughtercells,and
theirdaughters,inadevelopinganimal.First,somecellsaremarkedbygivingthem a
genethatscientistscaneasilyseeworking,e.g.agenetomakeaproteinthatisa
fluorescentgreencolour.Thismakesthecellslookgreen.Everytimethecellsdivide,
theirdaughtercellsinheritthegeneforthegreenprotein,sothedaughtercellsare
greentoo. Thisallowsustoseewhentheirmarkedcellsdivideandwheretheyendup
asananimaldevelops.

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Stem cell biology in more detail

25

Tissue stem cell types

and hierarchies

26

Tissue stem cells:

Principles of renewing tissues

Stemcell

stemcell:
selfrenew
dividerarely
highpotency
rare

committedprogenitors:
transientamplifyingcells
multipotent
dividerapidly
noselfrenewal

specializedcells:
work
nodivision

Tissuestemcells:Principlesofrenewingtissues
Theslideshowsthetypicalhierarchyofcellsfromtissuestemcelltospecializedcell.
Stemcellsgiverisetocommittedprogenitors.Thesearenotfullydifferentiatedcellsbut
havedifferentpropertiesfromstemcells theyareanintermediatecelltype.
Committedprogenitorswilldividemanytimesandwillgiverisetofullydifferentiated
andfunctionalcellsviaaseriesofsteps.
Thistypicalhierarchyisapplicabletomanytypesoftissuestemcell(someexamplesare
giveninthefollowingslidestoillustratethisprinciple).

27

Tissue stem cells:

Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs)
NKcell
Tcell
Bcell

dendritic cell
megakaryocyte

HSC

platelets
erythrocytes
macrophage
neutrophil

bonemarrow

eosinophil
basophil

committedprogenitors

specializedcells

Tissuestemcells:Haematopoietic stemcells(HSCs)
HSCs =bloodstemcells
HSCs areisolatedfromthebonemarrow.Theygiverisetocommittedprogenitors,
whichthengiverisetoallspecializedbloodcelltypes.

28

Tissue stem cells:

Neural stem cells (NSCs)
Neurons

Interneurons
Oligodendrocytes

NSC
Type2Astrocytes
Type1Astrocytes
brain

committedprogenitors

specializedcells

Tissuestemcells:Neuralstemcells(NSCs)
NSCs areisolatedfromspecificareasofthebrain.Theygiverisetocommitted
progenitors,whichthengiverisetoallspecializedbraincelltypes.

29

Tissue stem cells:

Gut stem cells (GSCs)
Paneth cells

Gobletcells

GSC
Endocrinecells
Columnarcells
Smallintestine

committedprogenitors

specializedcells

Tissuestemcells:Gutstemcells(GSCs)
GSCs =intestinalstemcells
GSCs arepresentinthesmallintestine.Theygiverisetocommitted progenitors,which
thengiverisetoallspecializedintestinalcelltypes.

30

Tissue stem cells:

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)
Bone(osteoblasts)

Cartilage(chondrocytes)

MSC

bonemarrow
Fat(adipocytes)
committedprogenitors

specializedcells

Tissuestemcells:Mesenchymal stemcells(MSCs)
MSCs areisolatedfromthebonemarrow.Theygiverisetocommittedprogenitors,
whichthengiverisetoallspecializedmesenchymal celltypes(bone,cartilage,fat).

31

Stem cells at home:

The stem cell niche

32

Stemcellniches
Niche

stemcell

Microenvironmentaroundstemcellsthatprovides
supportandsignalsregulatingselfrenewaland
differentiation

Direct contact

niche

Soluble factors

Intermediate cell

Stemcellniches
Thestemcellnicheisamajorconceptinstemcellbiology.Understandingthe
microenvironmentaroundstemcellsisasimportantasunderstandingstemcells
themselves.Themicroenvironmentregulatesthebehaviorofstemcellsandthuscan
teachushowtocontrolstemcellsinculture.
Thenichecanactonastemcellbyvariousmechanisms:
Directcontactbetweenthestemcellandthenichecells
Solublefactorsreleasedbythenichethattraveltothestemcell
Intermediatecellsthatcommunicate betweenthenicheandthestemcell
Scientistsarestillworkingtounderstandexactlyhownicheswork,andmoreisknown
aboutthenichesofsomekindsofstemcellsthanothers.

33

Credits
Picture credits
Many thanks to the following people for permission to reproduce images:
Slide 17, iPS cells: Keisuke Kaji, University of Edinburgh, UK
Slide 27, blood cell diagrams: Jonas Larsson, Lund Univeristy, Sweden
Slide 29, intestinal cell diagrams: Hans Clevers and Nick Barker, Hubrecht
Institute, The Netherlands
Should you wish to re-use any of the images listed above, please contact the
owner. All other images in this presentation can be re-used freely.

Acknowledgements
Particular thanks to Dr Christele Gonneau for creating these slides and
working tirelessly to help ensure the notes are correct.
Thanks also to Freddy Radtke of EPFL, Switzerland, whose slide we copied to
make slide 27 on tissue stem cells.

34