cell biology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living an ...

, precursor cells—also called blast cells—are partially differentiated, or intermediate, and are sometimes referred to as

progenitor cell A progenitor cell is a biological cell that can differentiate into a specific cell type. Stem cells and progenitor cells have this ability in common. However, stem cells are less specified than progenitor cells. Progenitor cells can only diffe ...

s. A precursor cell is a stem cell with the capacity to differentiate into only one cell type, meaning they are unipotent stem cells. In

embryology Embryology (from Ancient Greek, Greek ἔμβρυον, ''embryon'', "the unborn, embryo"; and -λογία, ''-logy, -logia'') is the branch of animal biology that studies the Prenatal development (biology), prenatal development of gametes (sex ...

, precursor cells are a group of cells that later differentiate into one organ. However, progenitor cells are considered

multipotent Cell potency is a cell's ability to differentiate into other cell types. The more cell types a cell can differentiate into, the greater its potency. Potency is also described as the gene activation potential within a cell, which like a continuum ...

. Due to their contribution to the development of various organs and cancers, precursor and progenitor cells have many potential uses in medicine. There is ongoing research on using these cells to build heart valves, blood vessels, and other tissues by using blood and muscle precursor cells.

Cytological types

Oligodendrocyte precursor cell Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), also known as oligodendrocyte precursor cells, NG2-glia, O2A cells, or polydendrocytes, are a subtype of glia in the central nervous system named for their essential role as precursors to oligodendrocytes ...

Myeloblast The myeloblast is a unipotent white blood cell which differentiates into the effectors of the granulocyte series. It is found in the bone marrow. Stimulation of myeloblasts by G-CSF and other cytokines triggers maturation, differentiation, prolife ...

Thymocyte A thymocyte is an immune cell present in the thymus, before it undergoes transformation into a T cell. Thymocytes are produced as stem cells in the bone marrow and reach the thymus via the blood. Thymopoiesis describes the process which turns thy ...

Meiocyte A meiocyte is a type of cell that differentiates into a gamete through the process of meiosis. Through meiosis, the diploid meiocyte divides into four genetically different haploid gametes.Libeau, P., Durandet, M., Granier, F., Marquis, C., Ber ...

Megakaryoblast A megakaryoblast () is a precursor cell to a promegakaryocyte. During thrombopoiesis, the promegakaryocyte matures into the form of a megakaryocyte. From the megakaryocyte, platelets are formed. The megakaryoblast is the beginning of the thromb ...

Promegakaryocyte A promegakaryocyte is a precursor cell for a megakaryocyte, the development of which proceeds as follows: : CFU-Meg (hematopoietic stem cell/hemocytoblast) → megakaryoblast → promegakaryocyte → megakaryocyte Promegakaryocytes and other p ...

Melanoblast A melanoblast is a precursor cell of a melanocyte. These cells migrate from the trunk neural crest cells (in terms of axial level from neck to posterior end) dorsolaterally between the ectoderm and dorsal surface of the somites. See also *Biolo ...

Lymphoblast __NOTOC__ A lymphoblast is a modified naive lymphocyte with altered cell morphology. It occurs when the lymphocyte is activated by an antigen and increased in volume by nucleus and cytoplasm growth as well as new mRNA and protein synthesis. The ly ...

Bone marrow Bone marrow is a semi-solid biological tissue, tissue found within the Spongy bone, spongy (also known as cancellous) portions of bones. In birds and mammals, bone marrow is the primary site of new blood cell production (or haematopoiesis). It i ...

precursor cells * Normoblast *

Angioblast Angioblasts (or vasoformative cells) are embryonic cells from which the endothelium of blood vessels arises. They are derived from embryonic mesoderm. Blood vessels first make their appearance in several scattered vascular areas ( blood islands) th ...

(

endothelial The endothelium (: endothelia) is a single layer of squamous endothelial cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. The endothelium forms an interface between circulating blood or lymph in the lumen and the res ...

precursor cells) *

Myeloid Myeloid tissue, in the bone marrow sense of the word '' myeloid'' ('' myelo-'' + '' -oid''), is tissue of bone marrow, of bone marrow cell lineage, or resembling bone marrow, and myelogenous tissue (''myelo-'' + '' -genous'') is any tissue ...

precursor cells *

Plasmablast Plasma cells, also called plasma B cells or effector B cells, are white blood cells that originate in the lymphoid organs as B cells and secrete large quantities of proteins called antibodies in response to being presented specific substances ca ...

* Neutrophil progenitor * Retinal progenitor cells

Medical significance

The prospect of

regenerative medicine Regenerative medicine deals with the "process of replacing, engineering or regenerating human or animal cells, tissues or organs to restore or establish normal function". This field holds the promise of engineering damaged tissues and organs by st ...

has become increasingly more popular in recent years. Stem cell research has been gaining traction as a possible method of treatment for various human diseases. One large subcategory of progenitor cells are neural precursor cells (NPCs), which consist of oligodendrocyte, astrocyte, and neuronal precursor cells. Once differentiation into these precursor cells occurs, fate restriction happens and the cells are unlikely to become another type. Some current research is exploring the ability to reverse fate restriction—allowing for precursor cells to become other types of precursor cells. NPCs have a variety of applications in medicine, with research focusing on all subsets. Glial precursor cells, namely oligodendrocyte precursor cells, are being explored for application in treating leukodystrophies—including

lysosomal storage disorders Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs; ) are a group of over 70 rare inherited metabolic disorders that result from defects in lysosomal function. Lysosomes are sacs of enzymes within cells that digest large molecules and pass the fragments on to other ...

and hypomyelination disorders. Another group of precursor cells called endothelial precursor cells (EPCs), or

angioblast Angioblasts (or vasoformative cells) are embryonic cells from which the endothelium of blood vessels arises. They are derived from embryonic mesoderm. Blood vessels first make their appearance in several scattered vascular areas ( blood islands) th ...

s in embryos, are involved in vascular development. There are two developmental methods of the vascular system—

vasculogenesis Vasculogenesis is the process of blood vessel formation, occurring by a ''De novo synthesis, de novo'' production of endothelial cells. It is the first stage of the formation of the vascular network, closely followed by angiogenesis. Process ...

and

angiogenesis Angiogenesis is the physiological process through which new blood vessels form from pre-existing vessels, formed in the earlier stage of vasculogenesis. Angiogenesis continues the growth of the vasculature mainly by processes of sprouting and ...

. Vasculogenesis involves the differentiation of endothelial precursor cells into endothelial cells, which is mostly seen in embryonic development. Originally thought to play no role in adult vascular development, EPCs have demonstrated involvement in pathological neovascularization such as cancer, wound healing, and

ischemia Ischemia or ischaemia is a restriction in blood supply to any tissue, muscle group, or organ of the body, causing a shortage of oxygen that is needed for cellular metabolism (to keep tissue alive). Ischemia is generally caused by problems ...

. Although relatively new, neutrophil precursor cells (NePs) have been studied to determine the role of neutrophil progenitor cells in cancer. Neutrophil precursor and progenitor cells are present in

bone marrow Bone marrow is a semi-solid biological tissue, tissue found within the Spongy bone, spongy (also known as cancellous) portions of bones. In birds and mammals, bone marrow is the primary site of new blood cell production (or haematopoiesis). It i ...

. According to one study, they are also present in the blood of those diagnosed with melanoma—suggesting the release of NePs into the bloodstream from bone marrow in response to cancer. Additionally, they exhibited tumor-promoting behavior in both mice and humans. Another category of precursor cells are retinal progenitor cells. Retinal degeneration (RD) is one of the most common causes of blindness in humans—with a variety of diseases falling under the broad category. Some research is looking into the efficacy of using retinal precursor cells as a regenerative treatment for RD. A variety of trials have already been conducted, most demonstrating no rejection of the transplant.

References

Citations

Sources

Precursor cell – Britannica Online Encyclopedia

External links

NIF Search – Precursor Cell
via the

Neuroscience Information Framework The Neuroscience Information Framework is a repository of global neuroscience web resources, including experimental, clinical, and translational neuroscience databases, knowledge bases, atlases, and genetic/ genomic resources and provides many aut ...

{{Stem cells Cell biology Stem cells