20.2 — stem cells

Question 1

what are stem cells?

Answer 1

undifferentiated cells that can develop into other types of cell

Question 2

what are stem cells used by and what for?

Answer 2

stem cells are used by organisms for growth, development and tissue repair

Question 3

what are the two key features of stem cells?

Answer 3

1. can divide by mitosis to produce more undifferentiated cells
2. can differentiated into specialised cells

Question 4

how can stem cells be grouped?

Answer 4

their ability to differentiate into different cell types (potency)

Question 5

when does a stem cell have a high potency?

Answer 5

when it has a large number of cells it can differentiate into

Question 6

what are the four types of stem cells?

Answer 6

1. totipotent stem cells
2. pluripotent stem cells
3. multipotent stem cells
4. unipotent stem cells