What Are Progenitor Cells?

Stem cells present in adult tissues with a clear target for differentiation

Progenitor cells

Stem cells present in adult tissues with a clear target for differentiation

Chinese name

Progenitor cells

Foreign name

Progenitor cell

Subject

cytology

Homogeneous cell

stem cell

Can it be differentiated

Yes

Before the cells are completely differentiated, they can be transformed into some kind of intermediate cells. These intermediate cells are called progenitor cells or precursor cells. Progenitor cells are adult stem cells and are undifferentiated pluripotent or multipotent stem cells.

Unlike stem cells, the differentiation of progenitor cells is more specific, that is, they can only differentiate into some target cells. Another important difference is that stem cells can proliferate indefinitely, while progenitor cells can divide a limited number of times. In some cases, the two concepts are the same. A group of adult cells that can only differentiate into a specific cell series and have only limited ability to divide and proliferate. ^[1]

Progenitor cells exist in various adult tissues of the organism and are responsible for the repair and regeneration process after tissue damage. After injury occurs, progenitor cells can be mobilized to activate, proliferate and migrate to the damaged site, differentiate into mature cells, and replace damaged tissue ^[2] . Corresponding progenitor cells have been identified in various tissues and organs of the human body, such as: blood progenitor cells, skin progenitor cells, small intestinal progenitor cells, lung progenitor cells, and so on. Because progenitor cells have "magic" functions that help tissues and organs repair and regenerate, scientists are trying to culture and transplant progenitor cells into patients for the treatment of a variety of degenerative diseases ^[3] .