Olfactory mucosa stem cells differentiate into neuron-like cells

The human body has over two hundred different cell types that are organized into tissues and organs and derived from a single totipotent cell, the zygote, which provides all the functions required for its viability and reproduction. Stem cells are a distinct class of cells, since they preserve to varying extents, their potential for multi-lineage differentiation, depending on the type (embryonic or somatic stem cells). These cells are characterized by their self-renewal and differentiation ability, since they are able to unlimitedly generate daughter cells, similar to themselves but with specific properties. In adults, there are several pools of somatic stem cells, in which the olfactory mucosa derived stem cells are included. In the olfactory mucosa, we find two populations of stem cells, one localized in the epithelium and the other one in the lamina propria.