Stem Cells Flashcards
Characteristics of animal cells
- Eukaryotic
- Heterotrophic (consumes living things for energy and nutrients
- Part of multicellular organisms
- Can be part of muscular, nervous systems
- Has a nucleus, cell membrane, mitochondria, ribosomes, many small vacuoles, and DNA
- Reproduce sexually (two parents contribute genetic information to make a unique offspring)
Characteristics of plant cells
- Multicellular organism
- Eukaryotic
- Autotrophic (make their own food)
- Make energy from photosynthesis
- Reproduce sexually
- Has a nucleus, cell membrane, mitochondria, chloroplasts, ribosomes, a big vacuole, DNA, and cell wall
Characteristics of fungal cells
- Multicellular organism
- Eukaryotic
- Have hyphae (thread-like cells) which together, make up the body of a fungus called a mycellium
- Heterotrophic as they get energy and nutrients from corpses
- Important as it ensures the nutrients in a corpse are recycled
- Has a nucleus, cell membrane, mitochondria, ribosomes, vacuole, DNA, and cell wall
- Reproduce sexually or asexually
Characteristics of Monera
- Prokaryotic
- Unicellular
- Autotrophs or heterotrophs
- Lack membrane-bound organelles (organelles with a membrane)
- Reproduce asexually
- Sometimes photosynthesize
- Motile as they have flagellums
- Have cell membranes, capsules, ribosomes, vacuoles, DNA, and cell walls
Characteristics of protists
- Unicellular
- Eukaryotic
- Heterotrophic or autotrophic
- Sometimes use photosynthesis
- Reproduce sexually or asexually
- Motile
- Live in aquatic habitats
- Usually doesn’t have a capsule
- Has a nucleus, cell membrane, mitochondria, sometimes chloroplasts, ribosomes, vacuole, and DNA
Characteristics of viruses
- Acellular
- Considered abiotic as they lack some of the characteristics
- Have DNA and RNA genomes
- Causes diseases
- Require living hosts for its survival
- Have capsules and DNA or RNA
What are eukaryotes and prokaryotes
- Eukaryotes have a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles
- Include plant, animal, fungal, and protist cells
- Prokaryotes have no nucleus and genetic info is found around the cell
- No membrane-bound organelles
- Include Monera cells
What are specialised cells
- Made for a specific purpose in an organism
- Found in multicellular organisms
What is cell specialisation/differentiation
- Process in which cells in multicellular organisms become specialised for specific tasks
What are stem cells and why are they important
- Undifferentiated cells that have the potential to develop into a wide range of cells
Self-renewal: can make more of themselves infinitely whereas specialised cells can only duplicate 50x before cell death
Specialisation: can specialise into specific cells
Involved in: development, repair, regeneration
Process of specialisation for stem cells
Totipotent (can become any kind of cell) –>
Pluripotent (can become practically any cell) –>
Multipotent (can become a limited range of cells)
Explain the two main types of stem cells
Embryonic stem cells (ESCs)
- Found in early embryos
- Pluripotent
Adult stem cells:
- Found in tissues throughout life
- Multipotent
- Tissue maintenance and repair
- Common in tissues with constant renewal
- Can only produce cells of the tissue they are in
Potential of stem cell application
- Understanding diseases
- Making new treatments
- Cell-based therapies and replacing damaged tissues and organs
What are some of the ethical concerns of stem cell application
- Killing a living thing: Obtaining stem cells from embryos will end up killing a living thing
- Consent: sometimes, donors donated egg cells not knowing that it will end up being used for stem cell research
- Cloning: in cloning for stem cells, people worry about questioning their individuality and uniqueness
Tell me about some of the organelles found in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes
Genetic material
Cell membrane:
- Semipermeable, select molecules can enter and exit
- Keeps cell stable; known as maintain homeostasis
Ribosomes:
- Make proteins, made of chains of amino acids (process known as synthesizing)
- A lot of genetic material codes for proteins
- Can be free in the cytoplasm or stuck to another organelle
Cytoplasm:
- Jelly-like substance
- Surrounds internal cell structures
