Stem Cell Biology, Tissue Formation, Cell Plasticity and Regenerative Medicine
A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Cell Biology and Tissue Engineering".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 12
Special Issue Editor
Interests: stem cell biology; development and tissue formation; tissue repair and regeneration; model organisms; clinical translation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The formation, growth and maintenance of specialised tissues in multicellular organisms are key to a fully functioning life. These requirements are true of many species, whether animal or plant. However, the mechanisms by which tissues initially form, grow in size and complexity, and then replace cells that have become effete and unable to turnover tissue components greatly vary across species. In some cases, the presence of multipotent stem cells that can differentiate to form the different specialised cell types needed within a tissue enables tissue formation and longer-term maintenance. In other cases, fully mature specialised cells exhibit phenotypic plasticity by, for example, dedifferentiating to generate a population of stem/progenitor cells that proliferate to increase cell numbers and then re-differentiate to form newly specialised cells performing a variety of their specialised functions. Such plasticity can be augmented through genetic manipulation or induced changes in the cellular microenvironment.
The aim of this Special Issue of Life is to bring together primary research papers, reviews, opinion pieces and hypotheses that illustrate and consider the many ways in which different organisms regulate tissue formation, growth and sustained function throughout life. In keeping with the breadth of the topic, the Special Issue extends to examining how tissue and cell types can transform during metamorphosis in some species. Further, we welcome papers that focus on tissue regeneration, particularly after traumatic injury or disease, which may help inform the development of regenerative medicines. Conversely, studies that increase our understanding of failures in tissue formation, maintenance and regeneration also fall into the remit of the Special Issue, along with studies that address the relevance of cell function to organismal longevity. We particularly welcome papers that provide mechanistic details at the molecular and cellular level, but will consider observational studies.
Prof. Dr. Eustace Johnson
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- stem cell biology
- development and tissue formation
- growth
- tissue repair and regeneration
- cell plasticity
- model organisms and systems
- clinical translation
- regenerative medicine
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