Abstract: Series 102, Lecture 6
The Harvey Lectures Series 102 (2006—2007)
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Lecture #6: Thursday, April 19, 2007 — Time and Location
Derivation of Adult Stem Cells During Embryogenesis
Leonard I Zon, MD
Grousbeck Professor of Pediatrics
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Children's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts
During embryogenesis, organs are formed from individual stem cell populations and these stem cells are maintained during adulthood. Using the zebrafish, we have undertaken a large-scale genetic and chemical screen to find pathways involved in generating adult blood stem cells during embryogenesis. To date, pathways involving notch and wnt signaling have been shown to be required and sufficient for stem cell homeostasis. The establishment of a stem cell niche, coupled with interacting signaling pathways, leads to the promotion of stem cell populations that last throughout the lifetime of the organism.