To battle adverse internal and external conditions and maintain homeostasis, diploid organisms employ various cellular processes, such as proliferation and apoptosis. In some tissues, an alternative mechanism, endoreplication, is employed toward similar goals. Endoreplication is an evolutionarily conserved cell cycle program during which cells replicate their genomes without division, resulting in polyploid cells. Importantly, endoreplication is reported to be indispensable for normal development and organ formation across various organisms, from fungi to humans. In recent years, more attention has been drawn to delineating its connections to wound healing and tumorigenesis. In this Review, we discuss mechanisms of endoreplication and polyploidization, their essential and positive roles in normal development and tissue homeostasis, and the relationship between polyploidy and cancer.

为了对抗不利的内部和外部条件并维持体内平衡，二倍体生物体利用了各种细胞过程，例如增殖和凋亡。在某些组织中，朝着相似的目标采用了另一种机制，即内复制。内复制是一种进化保守的细胞周期程序，在此程序中，细胞复制其基因组而不会分裂，从而形成多倍体细胞。重要的是，据报道内复制对于从真菌到人类的各种生物体的正常发育和器官形成都是必不可少的。近年来，人们越来越多地关注其与伤口愈合和肿瘤发生的关系。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了内复制和多倍体化的机制，它们在正常发育和组织稳态中的重要作用和积极作用，