Abstract
Stem cells can be divided into two types, namely non-definitive and definitive stem cells. Non-definitive stem cells have the capacity of developing into any organ or tissue of the body. The best example is the fertilized egg, but the most commonly known are embryonic stem cells (ESC) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Definitive stem cells are derived from non-definitive stem cells and are organ or tissue specific. They are responsible for maintaining the organ or tissue. Definitive stem cells can be divided into two types; those that maintain continuously proliferating cell systems and those that maintain partially proliferating cell systems. Continuously proliferating cell systems include the blood-forming or hematopoietic system, the gastrointestinal system, the reproductive system, the skin, and specific cells of the eye. Partially proliferating stem cell systems include the liver, kidney, lung, and neural systems to name but a few (Fig. 1.1). In fact, virtually every organ and tissue is associated with or has its own definitive stem cell system [1–3].
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Rich, I.N. (2015). Short Primer in Stem Cell Biology. In: Rich, I. (eds) Stem Cell Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1235. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1785-3_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1785-3_1
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Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY
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