Endothelial progenitor cells are precursors of endothelial cells, which are able to differentiate into mature endothelial cells. Studies are needed to increase more detailed understanding on the mechanisms of EPC-differentiation, survival, homing and distribution of the tissue. The human EPC has potential to be used as diagnostic and prognostic or therapeutic tools in the future. This review describes recent studies on the biological characteristics and clinical application of EPC, including immunophenotype and functional characteristics of EPCs, mobilization, release and differentiation of EPCs, EPC number and recruitment, clinical application of EPCs, and so on.
Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; Humans ; Stem Cells ; cytology

Humans ; Myocardium ; cytology ; Stem Cells

Heart ; Myocardium ; cytology ; Stem Cells

Animals ; Hepatocytes ; cytology ; Mice ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Stem Cells ; cytology

Hepatocytes ; cytology ; Humans ; Liver ; cytology ; Stem Cells ; cytology

Plant stem cells are the cells that are located in meristems and are kept in a state of undifferentiation. Plant stem cell possesses lower vacuolization, higher mitochondrial activity, more genetic stability and stronger self-renewal capacity compared with calli. Plant stem cell culture has a wide application in pharmaceutical, functional food as well as cosmetic industries. Here we describe the procedure of induction, isolation and identification of plant stem cells, to provide a reference for further research in this field.
Meristem ; cytology ; Plant Cells ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; Tissue Culture Techniques

Cellular Microenvironment ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; cytology

Endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs), different from classical endothelial progenitor cells, are late endothelial progenitor cells with the capability to promote angiogenesis. Recent studies showed that ECFCs have a huge angiogenesis potential in the restoration of ischemic hearts, lungs or brains. They are also able to induce the expression of vascular related factor to promote angiogenesis in repair of limb ischemia or bone injury. Furthermore, ECFCs possess a strong homing effect for tumor, which is closely related to tumor occurrence, development and prognosis. Thus, ECFCs are a novel direction for vascular regeneration study, and may lead to ground-breaking progresses in fields of tissue regeneration and tumor.
Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Neovascularization, Physiologic ; Stem Cells ; cytology

Adult stem cells are the multi-potential cells, which exist in fetal and adult tissues. It can reproduce itself (undergo self-renewal) or give rise to more specialized (differentiated) cells. Under certain inducing conditions, adult stem cells can acquire the ability to differentiate into different tissue cells. Multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPC), an alternative name of adult stem cell given by Catherine Verfaillie, existing in bone marrow, can differentiate into cells with characteristics of mesodermal, neuroectodermal, and endodermal lineages in vitro at the single-cell level. MAPC can also contribute to most cell types when injected into the blastocyst. Adult stem cell differentiation implies that different cell lineages are derived from a single initial cell; all differentiated cell types are functional in vitro and in vivo; and engraftment is robust and persistent in the physiological and pathological situations. The possible mechanisms may underlie the differentiation: various tissue-specific stem cells are present in different organs; adult stem cells would be reprogrammed when removed from their usual microenvironment and introduced into a different niche that imparts signals to activate a novel genetic program needed for the new cell fate. And true multi-potential stem cells persist in postnatal life. In the future, multi-potent adult stem cells might then be used for therapies of degenerative or genetic disorders of multiple different organs.
Adult Stem Cells ; cytology ; Cell Differentiation ; Humans ; Multipotent Stem Cells ; cytology ; Stem Cell Transplantation

Stem cell can both self-renew and have the ability to differentiate into one or more cell types that perform normal tissue/organ function throughout life, including embryonic stem cell and adult stem cell. The treatment with stem cells will be widely used in the future. This article reviews recent advances in studies of the use of embryonic stem cells and spermatogonial stem cells in male reproduction.
Embryonic Stem Cells ; transplantation ; Humans ; Male ; Spermatogonia ; cytology ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; trends ; Stem Cells ; cytology