Bone: Stem and Progenitor Cells in Adults

Bone cells such as osteoblasts and osteocytes that form the bone through different cellular processes are derived from bone stem cells. Stem cells are classified into different type based on their potency. Potency is defined as the ability of stem cells to differentiate into different types of specialized cells. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are said to be multipotent stem cells, meaning they can differentiate into all specialized cells found in the body.

Between the cascade of intracellular changes that lead to the formation of specialized cells from stem cells, there exists an intermediate state called the precursor or progenitor cell. The progenitor cells are unipotent or oligopotent cells—they can form only one to three kinds of specialized cells. They are mostly in the human body at ...