AUTHOR=Mariniello Katia , Ruiz-Babot Gerard , McGaugh Emily C. , Nicholson James G. , Gualtieri Angelica , Gaston-Massuet Carles , Nostro Maria Cristina , Guasti Leonardo TITLE=Stem Cells, Self-Renewal, and Lineage Commitment in the Endocrine System JOURNAL=Frontiers in Endocrinology VOLUME=10 YEAR=2019 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2019.00772 DOI=10.3389/fendo.2019.00772 ISSN=1664-2392 ABSTRACT=

The endocrine system coordinates a wide array of body functions mainly through secretion of hormones and their actions on target tissues. Over the last decades, a collective effort between developmental biologists, geneticists, and stem cell biologists has generated a wealth of knowledge related to the contribution of stem/progenitor cells to both organogenesis and self-renewal of endocrine organs. This review provides an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the role of tissue stem cells in the development and self-renewal of endocrine organs. Pathways governing crucial steps in both development and stemness maintenance, and that are known to be frequently altered in a wide array of endocrine disorders, including cancer, are also described. Crucially, this plethora of information is being channeled into the development of potential new cell-based treatment modalities for endocrine-related illnesses, some of which have made it through clinical trials.