All cells express characteristic markers that can be used to distinguish them from other cell types, such as proteins, lipids and glycosylation. Cell markers can be expressed extracellularly on the cells surface or inside the cell as an intracellular molecule. This page covers surface and intracellular cell markers for a variety of cell types including immune cells, stem cells, central nervous system cells, and more.
The summary diagram of cell marker
Part I. Cell markers of different types of stem cell
Hematopoietic stem cell
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are the stem cells that give rise to all blood cell types including myeloid and lymphoid lineages.
Mesenchymal stem cell
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent adult stem cells that have self-renewal capacity and differentiation potential into several mesenchymal lineages.
Neural stem cell
Neural stem cell (NSC) are self-renewing, multipotent cells that firstly generate the radial glial progenitor cells.
Epidermal stem cell
Epidermal stem cells (EpSCs) are multipotent cell type and are committed to the formation and differentiation of the functional epidermis.
Primordial germ cell
Primordial germ cells (PGCs), also known as germ cells, are any biological cells that give rise to the gametes of an organism that reproduces sexually.
Part II. Cell markers of differentiated cells
As you know, a stem cell is a cell that is prepared to differentiate, and can become any type of cell. Then, a differentiated cell is a cell that only expresses certain genes and cannot turn into any other type of cell.
Differentiated cells are specialized cells in order to perform a specified function in the body. These cells are morphologically distinct from their stem cells by size, shape and functionally distinct from metabolic activity, membrane potential, and responsiveness to signals. The mechanism of differentiation of stem cells is governed by the regulated gene expression. Each type of differentiated cells is defined by a particular array of transcription factors. Cell markers of differentiated cells are useful tools to distinguish the types of cells. As the following table shows, we list several the cell markers of the hottest types of cells.
