Progenitor cell

A progenitor cell or progenitor cell is the descendant of a multipotent adult stem cell or has been isolated from fetal tissue. On the one hand, it has stem cell properties with regard to its ability to regenerate, but on the other hand it is defined for a future functional area - however, this “definition” is still reversible. Progenitor cells are therefore sometimes referred to as determined stem cells .

More recently, precursor cells have been found in many tissues, such as the heart , muscles , adipose tissue , skin and brain .

Since the research area is currently developing dynamically, the nomenclature is also still in flux; the term progenitor cell is therefore occasionally used as a synonym for stem cell , but occasionally also very narrowly used for the precursor cells of the blood-forming system.

Hematopoietic progenitor cells

Hematopoietic progenitor cells are largely undifferentiated progenitor cells of the blood-forming system from which various white blood cells or red blood cells can develop. They occur mainly in the bone marrow , but also in low concentrations in the blood vessel system .

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPC)

As endothelial progenitor cells in are blood circulating cells called which have the ability to endothelial cells to differentiate. The characterization of these cells is currently not precisely defined. Blood cells are mostly referred to as EPCs, which carry specific cell surface proteins from precursor cells and at the same time already have characteristic endothelial cell proteins. It is currently being investigated whether EPCs are suitable for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.