Cell maturation: Hallmarks, triggers, and manipulation

How cells become specialized, or mature,is important for cell and developmental biology. While maturity is usually deemed a terminal fate, it may be more helpful to consider maturation not as a switch but as a dynamic continuum of adaptive phenotypic states set by genetic and environment programing. The hallmarks of maturity comprise changes in anatomy (form, gene circuitry, and interconnectivity) and physiology (function, rhythms, and proliferation) that confer adaptive behavior. We discuss efforts to harness their chemical (nutrients, oxygen, and growth factors) and physical (mechanical, spatial, and electrical) triggers in vitro and in vivo and how maturation strategies may support disease research and regenerative medicine.

Automated summary

The process of cell maturation is important in cell and developmental biology. It is not simply a terminal fate, but a dynamic continuum of adaptive phenotypic states determined by genetic and environmental factors. Maturation involves changes in anatomy and physiology that lead to adaptive behavior. Research on the triggers of cell maturation, such as chemicals and physical stimuli, has implications for disease research and regenerative medicine.