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•How do adult stem cells arise? Are they residual embryonic stem cells? If so, what has stopped them differentiating: why are they still stem cells when most cells have differentiated?
•Are stem cells found in different tissues fundamentally distinct, or is there a universal adult stem cell? Stem cells derived from different adult tissue can have remarkably similar properties. Research on adult stem cells has revealed that they can be induced to produce cell types of a variety of tissues. Do some or all adult stem cells belong to a single lineage but behave differently depending on extracellular cues?
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Which adult tissues harbor stem cells? Do tissues that apparently contain no stem cells rely on other sources of new cells, or is it a matter of time until stem cells are identified there?
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What molecular factors enable stem cell plasticity? While a lot is known about the cellular qualities that accompany multi- and pluripotency , the molecular/genetic factors that determine these qualities remain unclear.
Could knowledge of these mechanisms allow us to reverse the process of differenti and restore embryonic stem cell properties in adult stem cells or even differentiated cells?
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