Cancers are not just masses of malignant cells but complex 'rogue'organs, to which many
other cells are recruited and can be corrupted by the transformed cells. Interactions between …

Fibrosis is defined by the overgrowth, hardening, and/or scarring of various tissues and is
attributed to excess deposition of extracellular matrix components including collagen …

The association between chronic inflammation and cancer is now well established. This
association has recently received renewed interest with the recognition that microbial …

Reactive stroma initiates during early prostate cancer development and coevolves with
prostate cancer progression. Previous studies have defined the key markers of reactive …

Mesenchymal cells in the intestine comprise a variety of cell types of diverse origins,
functions, and molecular markers. They provide mechanical and structural support and have …

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play a key role in hepatic fibrogenesis.
However, their origin is still unknown. We tested the hypothesis that bone marrow (BM) …

Background & Aims Bone marrow (BM) cells may transdifferentiate into or fuse with organ
parenchymal cells. BM therapy shows promise in murine models of cirrhosis, and clinical …

Background & aims: Myofibroblasts of bone marrow origin have recently been found in a
number of parenchymal organs such as the gut and kidney. We have analyzed the origin of …

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells that can be isolated from several
human tissues and expanded ex vivo for clinical use. MSCs are identified by their adherent …

Stem cell plasticity refers to the ability of adult stem cells to acquire mature phenotypes that
are different from their tissue of origin. Adult bone marrow cells (BMCs) include two …