Flexible and dynamic organization of bone marrow stromal compartment

The bone marrow mesenchymal compartment contains putative stem/progenitors of skeletal tissue components such as bone, cartilage, haematopoiesis-supporting stroma and adipocytes. Previously appreciated as vital to the support of haematopoiesis, these cells have also been recently recognized as having significant immunomodulatory properties with implications for allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation. Despite having been studied for more than three decades and currently being used in different clinical settings, their biology remains elusive. The aim of this review is to critically analyse the field of mesenchymal stem/progenitor cell biology, in respect of their relationship with other mesenchymal cell-types. Several issues concerning lineage commitment and inter-conversion potential between different mesenchymal cell-types are reviewed.