Stem Cells

Question 1

What is a stem cell?

Answer 1

A cell that can continuously divide in culture to produce unaltered daughter cells with differentiation potential

Question 2

What are the different types of potency?

Answer 2

totipotent
pluripotent
multipotent
oligopotent
unipotent

Question 3

What potency do adult stem cells have?

Answer 3

multipotent or less

Question 4

How many types of daughter cells can embryonic stem cells produce?

Answer 4

> 200

Question 5

How are embryonic stem cells cultured?

Answer 5

self renew
transcription factors repress differentiation
stage identifiable by immunohistocompatability complexes expressed

Question 6

What are the transcription factors used to repress embryonic stem cell differentiation?

Answer 6

OCT4,
SOX2,
NAN0G,
KLF4

Question 7

What are the cell surafce markers expressed?

Answer 7

SSEA3, 
SSEA4, 
Keratin sulphate
Tra-1-60
Tra-1-81

Question 8

How can pluripotency be tested for?

Answer 8

Clumping of embryoid bodies into 3 germ layers

Transplant into immunosupressed mice produces teratomas

Question 9

How can cells be induced to pluripotent?

Answer 9

Somatic cells treated with OCT3/4, SOX2, KLF4, c-myc

Question 10

Where are adult stem cells found?

Answer 10

Quiescent in niches

Question 11

What are the types of adult stem cell?

Answer 11

haematopoetic
mesenchymal
neuronal

Question 12

What are haematopoetic stem cells?

Answer 12

Rounded, non adherent cells with low cytoplasmic:nuclear ratio
Have CD34, 45, 117, 14 antigens but haven’t been isolated purely
Found in bone marrow
Produce myeloid tissue

Question 13

What are mesenchymal stem cells?

Answer 13

Found in bone marrow for bones, connective tissues, cartilage, fat
Limited mortality in vitro
No markers but adhesion molecules

Question 14

What are neuronal stem cells?

Answer 14

Oligopotent for astrocytes, dendrocytes, neurons

Question 15

How can stem cells be administered for treatment?

Answer 15

Allogenic

Autologous (self)

Question 16

How is Multiple Myeloid lymphoma treated?

Answer 16

Autologous
Haematopoetic blood progenitor cells extracted with g-csf
Myleoblastive treatment
Readministeration of stem cells

Question 17

What are the disadvantages of allogenic transplantation?

Answer 17

limited donor availability
stem cell competition
attack of donor cells on host cells
infection
difficult to retain intact niche

Question 18

What type of diseases can be treated with autologous haematopoetic stem cells?

Answer 18

Aquired: lymphomas and myelomas

Question 19

What type of diseases can be treated with haematopoetic stem cells?

Answer 19

Aquired or inborn

Question 20

How are mesenchymal stem cells being developed for treatment?

Answer 20

Regeneration of bones and connective tissue
Tissue engineering
Immunomodulation

Question 21

How are mesenchymal stem cells administered?

Answer 21

Autologous

Question 22

Why are embryonic or iPs cells developed?

Answer 22

Wider range of target tissues

Development of drugs to target disease or repair cells

Question 23

Why are the issues with embryonic stem cells?

Answer 23

Ethical
No immunological
Unknown safety from differentiation

Question 24

What diseases are modelled with iPs systems?

Answer 24

Parkinsons
Type 1 diabetes
anaemia
Spinal muscular atrophy
A1-α-trypsin deficiency
β-thallasemia
schizophrenia