Uncovering secrets of bone marrow cells and how they differentiate

Researchers mapped distinct bone marrow niche populations and their differentiation paths for the bone marrow factory that starts from mesenchymal stromal cells and ends with three types of cells — fat cells, bone-making cells and cartilage-making cells. Respectively, those cells are called adipocytes, osteoblasts and chondrocytes. This non-hematopoietic cell system is distinct from another production line in the bone marrow — the hematopoietic system — that makes red blood cells, blood-clotting cells and cells of the immune system.