All stem cells are not created equal, a new study finds. Two distinct kinds of self-renewing blood cells have been spotted in mice, muddying a simplistic view of stem cell categories.
Knowing how these different types of stem cells behave may help scientists better understand and treat blood diseases.
“The definition of a stem cell, as you look closer, gets more complicated,” comments stem cell researcher Timm Schroeder of the German Research Center for Environmental Health’s Institute of Stem Cell Research in Neuherberg. The new study, appearing March 5 in Cell Stem Cell, adds to a growing body of evidence that “black and white characterizations might not be right,” says Schroeder, who was not involved with the study.
In the blood, millions of diverse cells die every second. To keep up with this loss, stem cells continually divide to create the correct balance of cell types, which include oxygen-carrying red blood cells and a menagerie of immune cells.