Stem cells Flashcards

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1
Q

Progenitors

A

Cells that proliferate for a limited number of cycles before differentiation

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2
Q

Cell lineage

A

developmental history of a differentiated cell as traced back to the cell form which it arises

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3
Q

Blastomere

A

the cell type of the early embryo that is generated by cleavage of the zygote

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4
Q

Blastocyst

A

the spherical embryo at the time of implantation, consisting of the primary tissue types

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5
Q

What are the three primary tissue types?

A

trophectoderm
epiblast
primitive endoderm

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6
Q

Trophectoderm

A

precursor of the placenta

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7
Q

Epiblast

A

the founding tissue of the embryo proper that gives rise to all fetal tissues

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8
Q

Primitive endoderm

A

extraembyronic tissue that initially covers the epiblast surface and later gives rise to the yolk sac tissue

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9
Q

Potency

A

ability of a cell to differentiate into one or more cell types

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10
Q

Totipotency

A

ability of a cell to give rise to a fully functional organism, both embryonic and extraembryonic tissues

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11
Q

Pluripotency

A

ability of a cell to develop into all embryonic but not extraembryonic cell types, including the germ cells

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12
Q

What are the hallmarks of pluripotency?

A

expression of pluripotency TFs
teratocarcinoma formation

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13
Q

Germ layers

A

the first specialised precursors of different embryonic cell types

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14
Q

Ectoderm

A

Surface, neural and neural crest
makes skin, PNS and CNS

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15
Q

Mesoderm

A

axial, paraxial, intermediated and lateral
makes blood, heart, muscle and kidneys

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16
Q

Endoderm

A

gut and internal organs
makes liver, pancreas, intestines

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17
Q

How is cell lineage decided during gastrulation?

A

in a regionalised manner- so the location of a cell predicts its identity in response to distinct signals that activate lineage specific TFs

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18
Q

Epithelium

A

cells that line the surface of a structure, characterised by tight junctions and polarised morphology

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19
Q

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition

A

a process during which cells lose their epithelila characteristics, gain a less regular appearance and become migratory
breakdown of basement membrane and loosening of cell cell contacts

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20
Q

Neuromesodermal progenitors

A

bipotent- paraxial mesoderm
future skeletal muscle, bone, cartilage and vertebrae
OR spinal cord

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21
Q

What do defects in neuromesodermal progenitors lead to?

A

spina bifida
currarino syndrome
sacral agenesis
sponylocostal dysotosis

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22
Q

What do haematopoietic stem cells give rise to?

A

all blood cell types

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23
Q

Aorta-gonad-mesonephros region

A

embryonic tissue originating from the para-aortic sphlanchopleura and consisting of the dorsal aorta and urogenital ridges
involved in generating HSCs prior to onset of haematopoisis in fetal liver

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24
Q

Why are embyros and stem cells difficult to study?

A

they have small cell numbers and have difficulties with in utero development and ethics

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25
Q

How do you capture pluripotent embryonic stem cells?

A

plate on layer of feeder cells (irradiated stromal cells from later embryos)
once they have divided a few times disaggregate and replate

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26
Q

What are the critical signals to maintain cells in a self-renewing undifferentiated state?

A

mice- leukaemia inhibitory factor
humans- FGF2 and TGF beta

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27
Q

What are the main pluripotency factors expressed by ESCs?

A

Oct4
Nanog
Sox2

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28
Q

3D

A

remove signals that keep cells in an undifferentiated state such as BMP and LIF (mice) and FGF2 (humans)
grow in aggregates in the presence or absence of signals

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29
Q

Advantages of 3D approach

A

recapitulates more accurately ambryonic development

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30
Q

Disadvantages of 3D approach

A

difficult to observe or dissect the role of individual signals

31
Q

2D / adherent

A

plate a defined number of cells on the right substrate or ECM
remove signals that keep cells in an undifferentiated state such as BMP/LIF/FGF2
grow in a defined medium with appropriate amounts of signals

32
Q

Advantages of 2D approach

A

more tractable system for live imaging and is easier to test the role of specific signals

33
Q

Disadvantages of 2D approach

A

loss of cell interactions that may occur in vivo

34
Q

Microcephaly

A

neurodevelopmental disorder in which infants are born with an abnormally small brain due to various autosomal recessive mutations
causes neurological defects and seizures

35
Q

Capturing cells in vitro

A

dissociate cells and plate on laminin in the presence of cytokines FGF2 and EGF
single cell can generate identical daughter cells and differentiate into glia/neurons after removal of cytokines

36
Q

Differentiated cells characteristics

A

do not divide or do it less frequently
limited reversibility and plasticity
restricted capacity to cope with injuries, insults or wear and tear

37
Q

Conrad Waddington’s epigenetic landscape

A

illustrates the progressive nature of differentiation

38
Q

What organs in the body have regenerative capacity?

A

liver
epithelial cells
skeletal and cardiac muscle
brain blood cells

39
Q

Adult stem cells

A

stem cells present in adult tissues and organs that retain the characteristics of stem cells such as self renewal and potency
but are usually unipotent or multipotent, limited cell fate decision

40
Q

Cellular homeostasis

A

constant or periodic generation of new cells to replace old damaged or cying cells
or the addition of new cells as needed by regeneration/replacement by adult stem cells

41
Q

Classical stem cell division

A

produces transit amplifying or progenitor cells which then differentiate

42
Q

Stem cell assymetry

A

one progenitor cell is produced

43
Q

Population asymmetry

A

entire cell population has some cells that will become progenitor cells and some that remain as stem cells

44
Q

Stem cell niche

A

specialised specific microenvironment regulating adult stem cells physically and chemically

45
Q

How does the stem niche regulate stem cells?

A

physical- cell adhesion and ECM
chemical- secreted proteins (paracrine, juxtacrine, endocrine, NTs)

46
Q

Epigenetic regulation

A

histone modifications and methylation influencing the expression of stem cell genes

47
Q

Transcriptional regulation

A

networks of TFs that regulate stem cell quiescence, proliferation, differentiation and self renewal

48
Q

Cytoplasmic determinants

A

assymetric distribution of proteins that govern the mode of cell division

49
Q

Drosophila creation of oocyte

A

ovarian germline stem cells divide to generate one stem cellm and one cytoblast cell
these divide into many more before selection of the oocyte

50
Q

How does BMP signalling control germline stem cell differentiation?

A

cap cells produce TGF beta ligands
these activate BMP signalling
this represses BAM which is required for differentiation

51
Q

What causes germline tumours?

A

overexpression of DPP or loss of BAM

52
Q

What causes germline stem cell differentiation?

A

loss of dpp or overexpression of BAM

53
Q

How do skeletal muscle cells repair muscle tears?

A

assymetric cell division in stem cell maintainance

54
Q

Basal lamina

A

part of the stem cell niche, layer of ECM secreted by epithelial cells
remodelling of this supports assymetric cell division

55
Q

How are adult stem cells anchored to their niche?

A

cadhenin mediated physical cell-cell adhesion
integrin mediated cell-ECM interactions

56
Q

How do cadhenin mediated cell cell adhesions work?

A

a-catenin and b-catenin associate with intracellular domain of cadherins
help to cluster cadherin molecules and form adherens junctions

57
Q

How do integrin mediated cell-ECM interactions work?

A

intracellular domains of integrins interact with actin cytoskeleton network through talin proteins to cluster integrin molecules together

58
Q

What other properties do stem cell niches have?

A

signalling molecules are secreted by the cell in high concs close to the stem cell causing self renewal and regulates proliferation
grow cells being used to treat a wound
prevention of premature ageing

59
Q

How is asymmetric cell division important for cell polarity?

A

the cell that is away from the niche will not have any signals anymore so will be on the path of differentiation

60
Q

How does competition play a role in quality control of stem cells?

A

there is still some cadherin and integrin signalling but if even a little bit of this is lost it will induce differentiatoin

61
Q

Stem cell ageing

A

old stem cells lose cadherin which means that they are lost from the niche, so are more susceptible to infections, becoming more clonal, and mutations

62
Q

Gut crypt structure

A

tube of cells with stem cell like cells in a niche at the distal end, and differentiated cells at the proximal end

63
Q

Gut crypt structure

A

tube of cells with stem cell like cells in a niche at the distal end, and differentiated cells at the proximal end
stem cells surrounded by paneth cells and basement membrane

64
Q

Paneth cells

A

cells surrounding the stem cells at the bottom of the crypt that secrete many different peptides and small molecules that regulate the gut microbiome, and signals to Lgr5

65
Q

Lgr5

A

Receptor that responds to Wnt signalling

66
Q

How can mini guts be made ?

A

single stem cell populations can be isolated and amplified, then given growth factors and Lgr5+

67
Q

LGR-EGFP transgenic mice

A

instead of the crypt looking organised, the adenomas mean that paneth cells and the lgr5 transgene is expressed all the way up the crypt, as they are activated and therefore not in the right place

68
Q

How can pluripotency be used to make organoids?

A

reprogramming skin fibroblasts or using embryonic stem cells
taking stem cells from gut epithelium and sorted using FACs

69
Q

FACS

A

fluorescent activated cell sorting

70
Q

What is the role of Wnt signalling?

A

induces local proliferation and EphB expression
local cell expansion
Eph-Ephrin repulsive force which generates bud formation

71
Q

How is stem cell reprogramming used as an experimental tool?

A

research for intestinal stem cells, intestinal differentiation and epithelial infections

72
Q

How is stem cell reprogramming used as a diagnostic tool?

A

for cystic fibrosis, mutational analysis in CRC
drug absorption and metabolism

73
Q

How is stem cell reprogramming used as a therapeutic tool?

A

potential regenerative therapy for microvillus inclusion disease, ulcerative collitis and post-endoscopic mucosal resection