Lec. 31 - Genetics

Question 1

Explain how transcription factors are involved in gene regulation.

Answer 1

They are the primary mechanism by which genes are turned “on” or “off”. They are proteins that bind to specific genes on the DNA molecule and promote or inhibit their transcription.

Question 2

Compare cell potency. (totipotent, pluripotent, multipotent)

Answer 2

Totipotent stem cells can become and type of cell found in an embryo (zygotes). Pluripotent stem cells can become any cell type in the body, except the placenta (embryonic stem cells). Multipotent stem cells can only become a limited number of cell types in a certain lineage (neural stem cells).

Question 3

Explain the function of stem cells in the body.

Answer 3

Stem cells are undifferentiated biological cells found in multicellular organisms, that can differentiate into specialized cells or can divide to create more stem cells.

Question 4

Describe the reprogramming of cells.

Answer 4

Cell reprogramming is the process of changing a specialized cell into a different type of cell by altering gene expression patterns.