Figure 3. Quiescent stem cells are poised for activation.
A proposed model of how the quiescent state of a stem cell constitutes a poised state for activation. Quiescent stem cells are actively regulated at the epigenetic, transcriptional and post-transcriptional level. The epigenetic landscape keeps the chromatin in a permissive state, which allows rapid transcriptional activation. Additional layers of transcriptional and post-transcriptional control safeguard quiescent stem cells to enable precise stem cell activation when necessary.