Table of Contents
AN INTRODUCTION TO STEM CELLS. The essential principles of stem cell science. Stem cell identification, isolation, and characterization. STEM CELL POTENCY AND CONTROL. Embryonic stem cells, cloning, and pluripotency. Controlling stem cells: Receipt and interpretation of external cues. Cell plasticity, reprogramming, and induced pluripotent stem cells. The stem cell niche. STEM CELLS ACROSS THE ANIMAL AND PLANT KINGDOMS. Regeneration in animals: The evolution of stem cells. Plant stem cells. STEM CELLS IN SPECIALIZED ADULT ANIMAL TISSUES. Hematopoietic stem cells. Musculo-skeletal and dental stem cells in mammals. Stem cells in endoderm-derived organs. Stem cells underpinning the generation of germ cells. Stem cells in the cardiovascular system. Stem cells in the nervous and sensory systems. Stem cells in the skin, its appendages, and other epithelial tissues. Atypical stem cells that enable and modulate immune system function. BIOMEDICAL AND ECONOMIC APPLICATIONS OF STEM CELLS. Stem cells in biomedicine: Disease modeling and tissue repair. Stem cells in biomedicine: Stem cells in aging and cancer. Stem cell applications in domesticated and wild animals and in horticulture. Stem cells and society: A philosophical, ethical, and economical view.