4. cellular differentiation Flashcards
what is cellular differentiation
the process by which a cell expresses certain genes to produce proteins.
this allows a cell to carry out specialised functions
what are stem cells
unspecialised cells in animals that can divide (self-renew) and/or differentiate
they can be embryonic stem cells (from an embryo) or tissue (adult) stem cells (from tissues)
why are embryonic stem cells described as pluripotent
cells in the very early embryo can differentiate into all the cell types that make up the organism.
all the genes in embryonic stem cells can be switched on so these cells can differentiate into any type of cell
why are tissue (adult) stem cells described as multipotent
they are involved in growth, repair and renewal of the cells found in that tissue
they can differentiate into all of the types of cell found in a particular tissue type
describe therapeutic uses of stem cells
involves the repair of damaged or diseased organs or tissues (e.g. repair of corneas, regeneration of damaged skin, bone marrow transplant)
describe medical uses of stem cells
stem cell research provides information on how cell processes such as cell growth, differentiation and gene regulation work
stem cells can be used: as model cells to study how diseases develop, for drug testing
why is the use of embryonic stem cells an ethics issue
because it involves the destruction of embryos
what are meristems
plants also have regions of unspecialised cells which can divide (self renew) and/or differentiate into many cell types called meristems
