Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Their Cell Surface Receptors

Daily increasing evidence indicates that stem cells can be found in nearly every tissue. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are adult stem cells, which reside in the bone marrow and other mesenchymal tissues. MSCs can be expanded to large numbers and can be driven into diverse mesenchymal cell lineages, including chondrocytes. Therefore, MSCs have attracted the attention of the biomedical community as very promising tools for repair of joint tissues, such as articular cartilage. This review will outline the MSC surface receptors and will focus on receptors that deliver important signals for chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs.