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Gastrointestinal stem cells. III. Emergent themes of liver stem cell biology: niche, quiescence, self-renewal, and plasticity.

Theise ND

Division of Digestive Diseases, 16th St. at 1st Ave., New York, NY 10003. ntheise@chpnet.org).

This essay will address areas of liver stem/progenitor cell studies in which consensus has emerged and in which controversy still prevails over consensus, but it will also highlight important themes that inevitably should be a focus of liver stem/progenitor cell investigations in coming years. Thus concepts regarding cell plasticity, the existence of a physiological/anatomic stem cell niche, and whether intrahepatic liver stem/progenitor cells comprise true stem cells or progenitor cells (or both) will be approached in some detail.

Published 12 January 2006 in Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol, 290(2): G189-93.
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