Kim JS, Hwang IS, Kim SJ, Moon MH, Park HD, Jin BH, Kim DY, Lee MJ, Eum SY, Yoo SJ, Cha BH. Cell-cell fusion and stem cell plasticity: Emerging paradigms in tissue regeneration. World J Stem Cells 2026; 18(5): 118307 [DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v18.i5.118307]
Reader's ID:
05125095
Submitted on:
June 04, 2026, 07:35
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Reader Comments:
Cell-cell fusion is a fundamental process during development, tissue regeneration, or reconstruction. This review extended this concept, and the authors discussed the pros and cons of stem cell fusion. Overall, it is a concise and timely review.
Since cell-cell fusion is a conserved phenomenon during the development of most organisms, it would be beneficial to introduce eukaryotic fusogens in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the Fusion Family (FF) proteins, which are responsible for fusing approximately one-third of all somatic cells during development. In addition, macrophage fusion can result in the formation of osteoclasts or multinucleated giant cells; the latter one should be discussed in the paper.
In the section “STEM CELL-DRIVEN CELL FUSION IN INJURED TISSUES”, it is better to specify the kind of stem cells used in each cited study. For example, BMDCs, HSCs, CD34+ progenitors, and MSCs are mentioned in different studies of cell fusion in the heart, whereas the authors simply refer to them as stem cells.