Progenitor cell
hideLike stem cells, progenitor cells have a capacity to differentiate into a specific type of cell. In contrast to stem cells, however, they are already far more specific: they are pushed to differentiate into their "target" cell. The most important difference between stem cells and progenitor cells is that stem cells can replicate indefinitely, whereas progenitor cells can only divide a limited number of times. Controversy about the exact definition remains and the concept is still evolving.
Despite the difficulty of defining progenitors, the term is frequently used in research. Thus, the importance of progenitors cannot be ignored.
The terms "progenitor cell" and "stem cell" are sometimes equated.
For more information about Progenitor cell, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with progenitor cells
Genetics of patterning the cerebral cortex
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Oct 13, 2009 |
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The cerebral cortex, the largest and most complex component of the brain, is unique to mammals and alone has evolved human specializations. Although at first all stem cells in charge of building the cerebral ...
Reactive oxygen in fruit flies acts as a cell signalling mechanism for immune response
Sep 24, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- For years, health conscious people have been taking antioxidants to reduce the levels of reactive oxygen in their blood and prevent the DNA damage done by free radicals, which are the result of oxidative ...
Low-carb diets linked to atherosclerosis and impaired blood vessel growth
Aug 24, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Even as low-carbohydrate/high-protein diets have proven successful at helping individuals rapidly lose weight, little is known about the diets' long-term effects on vascular health.
How to make a lung: Cell-regeneration molecules essential signals for early lung development
Aug 17, 2009 |
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A tissue-repair-and-regeneration pathway in the human body, including wound healing, is essential for the early lung to develop properly. Genetically engineered mice fail to develop lungs when two molecules ...
New steps forward in cell reprogramming
Aug 10, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have substantially improved the odds of successfully reprogramming differentiated cells into induced ...
Stem cell 'daughters' lead to breast cancer
Aug 02, 2009 |
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Walter and Eliza Hall Institute scientists have found that a population of breast cells called luminal progenitor cells are likely to be responsible for breast cancers that develop in women carrying mutations ...
Study shows cancer vaccines led to long-term survival for patients with metastatic melanoma
Jul 28, 2009 |
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Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian today announced promising data from a clinical study showing patient-specific cancer vaccines derived from patients' own cancer cells and immune cells were well tolerated and resulted in ...
Environmental factors instruct lineage choice of blood progenitor cells
Jul 15, 2009 |
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The research team led by Dr. Timm Schroeder, stem cell researcher at Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, Germany, has developed a new bioimaging method for observing the differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) at ...
Stem cells' 'suspended' state preserved by key step, scientists report
Jul 08, 2009 |
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Scientists have identified a gene that is essential for embryonic stem cells to maintain their all-purpose, pluripotent state. Exploiting the finding may lead to a greater understanding of how cells acquire their specialized ...
Scientists find molecule that regulates heart size by using zebrafish screening model
Jul 05, 2009 |
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Using zebrafish, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have identified and described an enzyme inhibitor that allows them to increase the number of cardiac progenitor cells and therefore influence the size of the developing ...
Triggering muscle development -- a therapeutic cure for muscle wastage?
Jul 01, 2009 |
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Scientists in the UK and Denmark have shown that if elderly men were given growth hormone and exercised their legs showed an appreciable muscle mass increase.
New device measures heart health with drop of blood
Jun 22, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Is your heart sound? To answer that question, all assistant professor Shashi Murthy needs is a single drop of your blood.
New device detects heart disease using less than one drop of blood
Jun 01, 2009 |
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Testing people for heart disease might be just a finger prick away thanks to a new credit card-sized device created by a team of researchers from Harvard and Northeastern universities in Boston. In a research report published ...
Zebrafish offer clues to treatments for motor neurone disease
Apr 29, 2009 |
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Tiny zebrafish could hold the key to stem cell treatments for motor neurone disease.
Creating ideal neural cells for clinical use
Apr 13, 2009 |
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Investigators at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have developed a protocol to rapidly differentiate human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into neural progenitor cells that may be ideal for transplantation. ...
