Hiding deep inside the bone marrow are special cells. They wait patiently
for the hour of need, at which point these blood-forming stem cells can
proliferate and differentiate into billions of mature blood immune cells to
help the body cope with infection, for example, or extra red blood cells for
low oxygen levels at high altitudes. Even in emergencies, however, the
body keeps to a long-term plan: It maintains a reserve of undifferentiated
stem cells for future needs and crises. A research team headed by Prof.
Tsvee Lapidot of the Institute’s immunology Department recently
discovered a new type of bodyguard that protects stem cells from over-
differentiation. In a paper that appeared in Nature Immunology, they
revealed how this rare, previously unknown sub-group of activated immune
cells keeps the stem cells in the bone marrow “forever young.”
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