The Cellular Microenvironment: Why a Cell's Surroundings Matter
Picture two dishes of identical mesenchymal stem cells. One dish is coated with a soft gel. The other is coated with a firmer one. Nothing else is different. Over time, the cells on the firmer surface tend to turn into bone-forming cells. The cells started out the same; only their surroundings differed. Scientists call those surroundings the cellular microenvironment, and it's a useful idea for...