Deconstructing the complexity of a microenvironmental niche.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 22464318.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1016/j.cell.2012.03.005 and PMC identifier 3652249.
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Abstract
Cells acquire their fate in vivo in the context of a complex microenvironmental "niche" comprised of heterologous cell types, signaling molecules, extracellular matrix, biophysical forces, and metabolic substrates. Now Calderón and Boehm report the "refunctionalization" of a defective thymic epithelial niche, offering insights into how signaling molecules may be hierarchically organized to direct differentiation outcomes.