Niché cells are specific anatomic locations that regulate how stem-cell populations participate in tissue

Tissue (biology)

Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism. A tissue is an ensemble of cells, not necessarily identical, but from the same origin, that together carry out a specific function. These are called tissues because of their identical functioning...

generation, maintenance and repair. The niché performs several functions:

• It may also induce pathologies by imposing aberrant function on stem cells or other targets.

The interplay between stem cells and their niché creates the dynamic system necessary for sustaining tissues, and for the ultimate design of stem-cell therapeutics.