Stem Cells Determine Their Daughters' Fate

Stem Cells Determine Their Daughters' Fate: "From roundworm to human, most cells in an animal's body ultimately come from stem cells. When one of these versatile, unspecialized cells divides, the resulting 'daughter' cell receives instructions to differentiate into a specific cell type. In some cases this signal comes from other cells. But now, for the first time, researchers at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Embryology have found a type of stem cell that directly determines the fate of its daughters. "


Substances and structures that determine the fate of stem cells are being found almost daily. This article reports on how Intestinal Stem Cells (ISC) have a structure to receive information on whether they should become enterocytes or enteroencocrine cells.