Tissue (or adult) stem cells are found throughout the body, where they function to maintain the organ or tissue in which they reside, throughout the lifespan. Most rapidly renewing tissues are maintained by stem cells, with the notable exception of the liver, which is maintained by specialized liver cells called hepatocytes. Under normal physiological conditions, each type of tissue stem cell only generates cells of the organ or tissue system to which it belongs: the blood (hematopoietic) stem cell generates blood, the skin stem cell generates skin, and so on. An exception is the mesenchymal stem cell, which can generate bone, cartilage, and muscle; however, while the mesenchymal stem cell field has generated much valuable research, it has also attracted controversy.
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