Concise Review: Stem Cell Population Biology: Insights from Hematopoiesis. (26th October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: MacLean, Adam L.; Lo Celso, Cristina; Stumpf, Michael P.H.
• Is Part Of: Stem cells. Volume 35:Number 1(2017:Jan.)
• Page Start: 80
• Page End: 88
• Publication Date: 2016-10-26
• Subjects: Hematopoietic stem cell -- Mathematical modeling -- Cancer stem cell -- Population dynamics -- Self‐renewal -- Bone marrow; Cloning -- Periodicals; Clone cells -- Periodicals; Stem cells -- Periodicals; Cell Differentiation -- Periodicals; Cell Division -- Periodicals; Clone Cells -- Periodicals; Hematopoietic Stem Cells -- Periodicals; Stem Cells -- Periodicals; 571.84
• DOI: 10.1002/stem.2508
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1066-5099

Abstract

Abstract: Stem cells are fundamental to human life and offer great therapeutic potential, yet their biology remains incompletely—or in cases even poorly—understood. The field of stem cell biology has grown substantially in recent years due to a combination of experimental and theoretical contributions: the experimental branch of this work provides data in an ever‐increasing number of dimensions, while the theoretical branch seeks to determine suitable models of the fundamental stem cell processes that these data describe. The application of population dynamics to biology is amongst the oldest applications of mathematics to biology, and the population dynamics perspective continues to offer much today. Here we describe the impact that such a perspective has made in the field of stem cell biology. Using hematopoietic stem cells as our model system, we discuss the approaches that have been used to study their key properties, such as capacity for self‐renewal, differentiation, and cell fate lineage choice. We will also discuss the relevance of population dynamics in models of stem cells and cancer, where competition naturally emerges as an influential factor on the temporal evolution of cell populations. Stem Cells 2017;35:80–88 Abstract : Population dynamics can explain the maintenance, dominance, and extinction of stem cells and their progeny, through careful use of mathematical models. In the hematopoietic stem cell niche, competition between healthy and leukemic stem cells impacts cancer incidence and progression. Gray arrows: cell production by differentiation; red dashed arrows: possible regulatory interactions.