Abstract
Bone marrow (BM) contains hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) which differentiate into all mature blood cells and marrow stromal cells that provide the microenvironment for hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells along with the capability to differentiate into mature cells of multiple mesenchymal tissues including fat, bone and cartilage. Recent studies indicate that adult BM also contains cells which can differentiate into nonhematopoietic cells of ectodermal, mesodermal and endodermal tissues other than hematopoietic tissues, including liver, pancreas, kidney, lung, skin, GI tract, heart, skeletal muscles and neural tissues. Studies describing this multipotentiality of BM cells have become a focus of interest because clinical applications in the treatment of damaged or degenerative diseases would be at hand using easily obtainable cells. However, presently, definitive evidence explaining the mechanism of this multipotentiality of bone marrow stem cells is lacking. In this review, we summarize recent progresses and controversies in the multipotentiality of adult bone marrow-derived stem cells to non-hematopoietic tissues.
