STEM CELLS Flashcards
and their use in a vet practice
what is a stem cell?
it is a cell that has the ability to continuously divide and differentiate (develop) into various other kinds of cells/tissues
totipotent?
each cell can develop into a new individual cell
which cells are totipotent stem cells?
cells from early embryos (1-3 days)
pluripotent stem cells?
cells can form any cell type (over 200)
which cells can become pluripotent stem cells?
some cells of blastocyst (5-14 days)
multipotent stem cells?
cells differentiated but can form a number of other issues
what cells can become multipotent stem cells?
fetal tissue, cord blood and adult stem cells
slide 5 - stages of embryoneosis - images
what are the four stages of embryogenesis?
cleavage, 8-cell stage, blastocyst and blastocyst inner mass cells
what is the process for the formation of totipotent, pluripotent, multi-potent stem cells and then into fully mature cells?
fertilised egg –> totipotent –> blastocyst containing pluripotent SC –> hematopoeitic SCs, neural SCs, mesenchymal SCs (multipotent SCs) –> tissue specific SCs such as blood cells, cells of nervous system and connective tissue, bones, cartilage etc. - these are fully mature
Once the cells are fully differentiated, what are they called?
they are unipotent
they can still replicate with limits but they will give rise only to cells with identical phenotypic characteristics
what is the stem cell niche?
area of the tissue in which the stem cells reside in a quiescent (dormant) status
what are the stimulis that trigger the stem cell niche?
humoral stimuli - nutrients and growth factors coming from the blood
humoral stimuli - molecules and soluble factors coming from the stroma
mechanical/structural stimuli - adhesion/interaction with ECM
neural stimuli - signals coming from surrounding tissues
what interaction determine the fate of the stem cells in the stem cell niche?
cell-to-cell and cell-to-ECM interaction influence the fate
location of stem cell niches?
bone marrow
skin
CNS
gut
muscle
where do they reside in bone marrow? slide 10
slide 15 and 16
where are embryonic stem cells derived from?
derived from donated IVF embryos
how can embryonic stem cells be grown?
can be grown indefinitely in the laboratory in an unspecialised state
what ability do embryonic stem cells retain?
the ability to specialise into many different tissue types - known as pluripotent
what can embryonic stem cells restore?
they can restore function in animal models following transplantation
iPSC - derived from who and when?
from adult cells in 2007
describe growth of induced pluripotent stem cells?
can be grown indefinitely in culture in an undifferentiated state
what cells do induced pluripotent stem cells have similar properties to?
similar to embryonic stem cells as they can differentiate into many different tissue types - pluripotent
what are the 3 therapeutic roles of stem cells in vet med?
treatment of musculoskeletal injuries in horses and dogs
preservation of endangered species
and generation of transgenic animals as biomedical models
how do stem cells help with the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries in horses and dogs?
by injection of stem cells in the joint to promote tissue repair
how do stem cells help with preservation of endangered species?
by preservation of the male germline: testis xenografting
how do stem cells help with generation of transgenic animals as biomedical models?
production of bioactive molecules
understanding of gene function
