Stem Cell Basics

Introduction | Stem Cell Basics | Plasticity | Stem Cell Niches | Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells | iPS-Derived MSCs | Additional Reading

What is a stem cell?

A stem cell is a type of cell in multicellular organisms that has two defining characteristics:

  • A stem cell can make identical copies of itself to ensure there is always a stem cell pool.
  • Stem cells can permanently change into cells with functions associated with different tissues through a process known as differentiation.

Stem cells can be categorized according to their capacity to differentiate into various tissue types. Throughout development, from the fertilized egg to the adult organism, stem cells gradually lose their ability to differentiate into certain tissue types. Stem cells with the greatest capacity to differentiate into different tissues are present in the very early stages of development, whereas stem cells with more restricted capacity for differentiation are present in adult organisms.

Stem cells can permanently change into cells with functions associated with different tissues through a process known as differentiation. The ability of these stem cells to differentiate into specialized cell types is referred to as potency.