Kinde Stem cells

Question 1

What are the characteristics of stem cells?

Answer 1

1. Not terminally differentiated
2. Can divide without limit
3. Undergo slow division
4. After division, one is a stem cell and one has the ability to be differentiated

Question 2

Define totipotency

Answer 2

The ability to give rise to all cells of an organism: TOTAL access to the body, even embryonic and extra embryonic

located in the zygote

Question 3

Define Pluripotency

Answer 3

The ability to give rise to all of the cells of the embryo and the adult (embryonic stem cells)

located in the blastocyst

Question 4

Define multi potency

Answer 4

Ability to give rise to difference cell types of a lineage (adult)

located in various tissues

when you’re an adult, you have to learn how to multitask

Question 5

What is a founder stem cell?

Answer 5

basically the founding fathers of the stem cells; they have transit amplifying divisions (a lot but limited) that allow them to renew adult structures

build the foundations of what is going to become that specific area of tissue that they differentiated into early on

Question 6

Describe the immortal strand hypothesis

Answer 6

Since during stem cell division, one cell becomes a stem cell and the others turn into transit amplifying cells, then ONE (the stem cell) is able to keep the original DNA and able to punt the new DNA (the one that may have mutations) to the transit amplifying cell, keeping the original DNA in a line of survival that is almost “immortal”

Question 7

Describe an embryonic stem cell.

Answer 7

From the blastocyst stage and are able to develop into anything that they want

In culture, they are able to proliferate indefinitely since there are no cues from the body to hault proliferation

can differentiate into cartilage, bone, skin, nerves, gut and respiratory lining

Question 8

Describe a teratoma

Answer 8

Caused by embryonic stem cells… since they are not restricted per say, and are able to differentiate into anything, they may just start differentiating into random stuff without a body plan, this is particularly seen in vitro.

Question 9

Describe ES cell therapies and when they are useful clinically

Answer 9

In vitro fertilization occurs to produce a fertilized egg which goes into a morula, a blastocyst, and then the inner mass cells are removed and allowed to become pluripotent stem cells which can be transplanted into the patient

can be used in immune deficiency, diabetes, parkinson’s disease, spinal injuries, demyelination, and MI

Question 10

Describe adult stem cells

Answer 10

found in the tissues and are responsive to growth and repair

they cannot differentiate as freely because there are several restraints that the body has on gene expression

This means that in clinical use of adult stem cells, the tissue that is being targeted must receive stem cells of the same family

Question 11

What are the 4 key determinant gene regulatory proteins of ES cell character?

Answer 11

Oct3/4
Sox2
Myc
KIf4