| Name: | stem cell population maintenance | 
    
        | Synonyms: | maintenance of pluripotency | 
    
        | Definition: | The process by which an organism or tissue maintains a population of stem cells of a single type. This can be achieved by a number of mechanisms: stem cell asymmetric division maintains stem cell numbers; stem cell symmetric division increases them; maintenance of a stem cell niche maintains the conditions for commitment to the stem cell fate for some types of stem cell; stem cells may arise de novo from other cell types. | 
    
        | Ontology: | GO: Biological Process [GO:0019827] 
   
    
    
    
QuickGO
    
   
    
    
    
AmiGO |