stem cells and differentiation Flashcards
what are stem cells?
unspecialised cells which can self renew indefinitely and can differentiate into specialised cells
what are common traits of stem cells?
they can self renew and also differentiate into many other types of cells
what is differentiation?
the process in which relatively unspecialised cells acquire specialised structural or functional features that characterise the cells
what is asymmetric division?
producing two dissimilar daughter cells. one is identical and maintains the same stem cell line and the other has a different genetic instructions and reduced proliferative capacity
what is cell potency?
a cells ability to differentiate into other cell types, the more cell types possible, the greater its potency.
totipotent
can give rise to embryonic membrane and any cell type in the adult body (eg zygote and morula)
pluripotent
can give rise to any cell type of the adult body
multipotent
can give rise to tissue specific cell types of the adult body
unipotent
can give rise to one specific type of cell in the adult body (epithelial cells)
what are haematopoietic stem cells?
generate blood and immune cells, found in bone marrow and self renew to maintain a small but stable stem cell population
what are somatic cells?
all of our cells other than sperm, eggs and undifferentiated stem cells
what are induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)
mature cells that can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent
what are human embryonic stem cells
derived from inner cell mass of blastocyst, generally not high enough quality for IVF use
what are adult/ somatic stem cells
undifferentiated cells found throughout the body that replenish and regenerate dying/damaged cells. eg bone marrow, skin liver. can be obtained from a tissue sample but are difficult to isolate
what are haematopoietic stem cells
example of adult stem cells form blood and immune cells and responsible for the constant renewal of blood. sites of production in adults are bone marrow of long flat bones
