This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the HI-STEM Stem Cell Institute have discovered a group of particularly long-lived blood stem cells in mice. These cells remain in a dormant state for an exceptionally long time while retaining their ability to generate new blood cells.
This newly discovered cell population may be responsible for sustaining blood regeneration and immune defense throughout a mouse's entire life. Our bodies produce billions of new blood cells every day. These cells transport oxygen, fight pathogens and help stop bleeding.
Blood stem cells in the bone marrow are responsible for this vital replenishment. They can renew themselves and produce all types of blood cells—for a lifetime. To prevent this ability from being exhausted prematurely, many blood stem cells spend a large part of their lives in a sort of dormant state.
Only when they are needed do they begin to divide. A team led by researchers at DKFZ and HI-STEM has now identified a special population of stem cells that can remain in this dormant state even longer than previously known blood stem cells. To identify blood stem cells, researchers use specific protein markers on the cell surface.
One of the most important is CD150. Cells lacking CD150 were therefore often not classified as blood stem cells. The new study shows, however, that a particularly interesting population of stem cells is hidden among these very cells, characterized by the surface protein EPCR.
The paper is published in the journal Cell Stem Cell. While other blood stem cells divide at least occasionally, the newly described cells remain inactive for months in mice. After more than 200 days, only about 2% of conventional blood stem cells still exhibited a "quiescence marker." In contrast, about 10% to 15% of the newly characterized stem cells were still positive for this marker.
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