Role of growth factors in hematopoietic stem cell niche

Dabin Lee1, Dong Wook Kim1, Je-Yoel Cho2

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, BK21 PLUS Program for Creative Veterinary Science Research and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 151-742, South Korea.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) produce new blood cells everyday throughout life, which is maintained by the self-renewal and differentiation ability of HSCs. This is not controlled by the HSCs alone, but rather by the complex and exquisite microenvironment surrounding the HSCs, which is called the bone marrow niche and consists of various bone marrow cells, growth factors, and cytokines. It is essential to understand the characteristic role of the stem cell niche and the growth factors in the niche formation. In this review, we describe the role of the bone marrow niche and factors for niche homeostasis, and also summarize the latest research related to stem cell niche.

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