Stem cells and the evolving notion of cellular identity

Abstract

Stem cells are but one class of the myriad types of cells within an organism. With potential to self-renew and capacity to differentiate, stem cells play essential roles at multiple stages of development. In the early embryo, pluripotent stem cells represent progenitors for all tissues while later in development, tissue-restricted stem cells give rise to cells with highly specialized functions. As best understood in the blood, skin and gut, stem cells are the seeds that sustain tissue homeostasis and regeneration, while in other tissues like the muscle, liver, kidney and lung, various stem or progenitor cells play facultative roles in tissue repair and response to injury. Here, I will provide a brief perspective on the evolving notion of cellular identity and how reprogramming and transcription factor-mediated conversions of one cell type into another have fundamentally altered our assumptions about the stability of cell identity, with profound long-term implications for biomedical research and regenerative medicine.