importance of cell differentiation

Question 1

what do all cells begin as?

Answer 1

stem cells- these are not specialised to a particular job, but are able to divide many times by mitosis to make new cells

Question 2

what does differentiate mean?

Answer 2

develop new features

Question 3

what are specialised cells?

Answer 3

cells that have the structures and proteins needed to carry out a specific job in the organism

Question 4

what is differentiation like in animal cells?

Answer 4

they differentiate at an early stage of development- meaning they lose the ability to differentiate early in the life of the organism

Question 5

what are adult stem cells?

Answer 5

specific cells in various locations throughout the body of an animal retain the ability to differentiate throughout the life of the animal

Question 6

what are adult stem cells involved in?

Answer 6

replacing and repairing cells (such as blood or skin cells)

Question 7

what are specialised cells?

Answer 7

cells which carry out specific functions within an organism

Question 8

what is differentiation controlled by?

Answer 8

the genetic information, known as DNA, inside the cell

Question 9

during differentiation, what happens to the genes?

Answer 9

the genes are switched off so that they can’t be transcribed- this ensures that the only proteins produced in the specialised cell are the ones needed to carry out its particular job

Question 10

in humans, what are the two different types of stem cell?

Answer 10

embryonic cells
adult stem cells

Question 11

what are embryonic cells?

Answer 11

found in the early form of the embryo- they can differentiate into any type of cell

Question 12

why are embryonic cells important?

Answer 12

they help to form all the different tissues and organs needed during development to form a whole new individual

Question 13

where are adult stem cells present?

Answer 13

in some tissues in organisms from the time they have recognisable organs

Question 14

how do adult stem cells divide?

Answer 14

by mitosis

Question 15

how many types of specialised cells can adult cells differentiate into?

Answer 15

a few different types

Question 16

what is an example of adult stem cells differentiating?

Answer 16

bone marrow stem cells can only form blood cells and bone cells

Question 17

what are adult stem cells predominately used for?

Answer 17

to replace cells lost through damage or to produce new cells for growth

Question 18

where are stem cells found in plants?

Answer 18

in the root and shoot tips, in the meristem tissue

Question 19

what are meristem cells?

Answer 19

unspecialised cells that can differentiate into the cells needed by the plant in regions where growth is occurring

Question 20

how can plant cells differentiate?

Answer 20

they can differentiate into any type of plant cell throughout the life of the plant

Question 21

what can you use with plant stem cells?

Answer 21

to clone plants with desired characteristics- could be useful if plants had resistance to a particular disease

Question 22

how can adult stem cells be made?

Answer 22

they can be cultures in the lab and made to differentiate into specialised cells

Question 23

what diseases are stem cells used to treat?

Answer 23

leukaemia

Question 24

what other diseases can stem cells treat in the future?

Answer 24

diabetes and paralysis

Question 25

where can you grow human embryos?

Answer 25

in the lab and then extract embryonic stem cells from them

Question 26

what is the problem when you have diabetes (type 1)?

Answer 26

inability on the pancreas to produce insulin to control blood sugar levels

Question 27

how could stem cells be used to treat type 1 diabetes?

Answer 27

stem cells could be differentiated into insulin- producing pancreatic cells which are transplanted into the patient’s body

Question 28

what are the source of stem cells?

Answer 28

stem cell donors or therapeutic cloning

Question 29

what problem do you have if you have paralysis?

Answer 29

damage to nerve cells in the brain or spinal cord, preventing signals from the brain reaching muscles in parts of the body (such as the arms or legs) resulting in loss of movement

Question 30

how could stem cells be used to treat paralysis?

Answer 30

stem cells could be differentiated into nerve cells (neurones) which are transplanted into the damaged region of the nervous system

Question 31

what is the source of stem cells for paralysis?

Answer 31

stem cell donors or therapeutic cloning