Library · Cellular process
Metaplasia
Make it clearer
Metaplasia occurs when one type of mature cell in a tissue is replaced by another, similar type of mature cell. Picture a lining that stays in the same place but changes the pieces it is made from.
This change is an adaptive response. It does not happen because one mature cell turns directly into another. Instead, stem cells in the tissue are reprogrammed and differentiate along a different path.
In brief
Metaplasia is a change from one mature cell type to another similar mature cell type within a tissue.
It is an adaptive response in which one mature cell type is replaced by another. One mature cell does not transform directly into another; instead, stem cells are reprogrammed to differentiate along a different path.
Sources (2)
- National Library of Medicine, MeSHMetaplasia
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Division of Translational Toxicology, NIHBasic Cellular and Tissue Microscopic Responses to Toxicity
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated