Cell Identity

How do stem cells stay stem cells?

Mesenchymal stem cell
(Photo/Robert M. Hunt)

Human embryonic stem cells—those that grow to form all the cells in the adult body—are only one type of stem cell. All adult tissues contain their own stem cells that step in to repair or replace tissue damaged from disease or injury. How do these cells stay in their undifferentiated state until called to duty?

Neuroscientist Nicholas Gaiano studies how cells in the brain interpret their instruction set to become specialized neural cells. Read more about his research in Identity Matters.

Cell biologist Erika Matunis studies how cells slated to become sperm in the fly testis can de-differentiate and revert back to their original stem cell fate.