Stem Cells Flashcards
What is the basic definition if a stem cell?
A cell which has the capacity to both self-renew and to generate differentiated properties
What are the two basic types of stem cells?
Embryonic stem cells
Adult tissue / somatic stem cells
What kind of stem cells can lead to the development of leukaemia?
Cancer stem cells
What is the term for adult stem cells which have been manipulated so that they revert back to a pluripotent cell type?
iPSC - induced pluripotent stem cell
What is the potency of an embryonic stem cell and what does this mean?
Totipotent - can give rise to embryonic membranes and any of the cell types of the body
Pluripotent cells exist in a developing embryo. What does pluripotent mean?
Able to differentiate into cell types of each of the three germ cell layers
What are the three germ cell layers?
Ectoderm
Mesoderm
Endoderm
Adult stem cells can be multipotent. What does this mean?
They can give rise to a tissue specific cell type of the the adult body
Some adult stem cells are unipotent, meaning…?
They can give rise to one specific type of adult cell
Are adult or embryonic stem cells more useful for transplant?
Adult stem cells
Are adult or embryonic stem cells easier to culture and expand?
Embryonic stem cells
What is differentiation?
The process by which relative unspecialised cells (stem cells) acquire specialised structural and/or functional features that characterise the cells, tissues or organs of the organism
Cell signalling contributes to the fate of a cell. T/F?
True
What are the useful clinical applications of human stem cells?
Drug testing
Development of personalised medicine
Cell and tissue transplant (cell based transplant rather than organ based)
What are the four potential fates of a stem cell?
Self-renewal
Differentiation
Quiescence
Death - by apoptosis
