eIF2α, a potential target for stem cell-based therapies.

The vast majority of adult tissue stem cells exist in a “quiescent (sleeping) state” for prolonged periods of time (1). However, the molecular basis underlying how stem cell quiescence is maintained has been largely unexplored. A recent paper by Crist and colleagues has now reported that translation initiation factor eIF2α is a key to control the quiescent state of muscle stem cells (2).