vnewjay

Q: I do not know the difference between "self-renewal" and "proliferation" of stem cells. And how can we determine that a stem cell self-renewed or proliferated ?

Self-renewal is referred to the self-regeneration at every division while maintaining stem cell identity, while proliferation is to the ability to divide and produce more stem cells or differentiated cells. You can see that they are two different properties of the stem cell. However, if a stem cell cannot divide at all, it will not self-renew.