ANNESE , Valentina

Somatic stem cells confer plasticity to adult tissues, permitting their maintenance, repair and adaptation to a changing environment. Adult germinal niches supporting somatic stem cells have been thoroughly characterized throughout the organism, including in central and peripheral nervous systems. Stem cells do not reside alone within their...

Adult stem cell plasticity, or the ability of somatic stem cells to cross boundaries and differentiate into unrelated cell types, has been amatter of debate in the last decade. Neural-crest-derived stem cells (NCSCs) display a remarkable plasticity during development. Whether adult populations of NCSCs retain this plasticity is largely unknown....

Oxygen constitutes a vital element for the survival of every single cell in multicellular aerobic organisms like mammals. A complex homeostatic oxygen-sensing system has evolved in these organisms, including detectors and effectors, to guarantee a proper supply of the element to every cell. The carotid body represents the most important...

The carotid body (CB), a neural-crest-derived organ and the main arterial chemoreceptor in mammals, is composed of clusters of cells called glomeruli. Each glomerulus contains neuron-like, O2-sensing glomus cells, which are innervated by sensory fibers of the petrosal ganglion and are located in close contact with a dense network of fenestrated...

Decades of research have not yet fully explained the mechanisms of epithelial self-organization and 3D packing. Single-cell analysis of large 3D epithelial libraries is crucial for understanding the assembly and function of whole tissues. Combining 3D epithelial imaging with advanced deep-learning segmentation methods is essential for enabling...