All adult tissues experience wear and tear. Most tissues can compensate for cell loss through the activity of resident stem cells. Although the cellular maintenance strategies vary greatly between different adult (read: postnatal) tissues, the function of stem cells is best defined by their capacity to replace lost tissue through division. We discuss a set of six complementary hallmarks that are key enabling features of this basic function. These include longevity and self-renewal, multipotency, transplantability, plasticity, dependence on niche signals, and maintenance of genome integrity. We discuss these hallmarks in the context of some of the best-understood adult stem cell niches.

中文翻译：

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哺乳动物组织干性的标志

所有成人组织都会经历磨损。大多数组织可以通过常驻干细胞的活性来补偿细胞损失。尽管不同成体（即出生后）组织之间的细胞维持策略差异很大，但干细胞的功能最好通过其通过分裂替换丢失组织的能力来定义。我们讨论一组六个互补的标志，它们是此基本功能的关键启用功能。这些包括长寿和自我更新、多能性、可移植性、可塑性、对生态位信号的依赖以及基因组完整性的维持。我们在一些最容易理解的成体干细胞生态位的背景下讨论这些特征。