Stem cells and differentiation

Question 1

Totipotent

Answer 1

Can give rise to embryonic membrane any of the cell types of the adult body. eg. 7 day old morula- embryonic stem cell.

Question 2

Pluripotent

Answer 2

Can give rise to any of the cell type of the adult body eg. 6 week embryo-embryonic germ cells (primordial germ cells).

Question 3

Multipotent

Answer 3

Can give rise to tissue specific cell type of the adult body. eg. placental stem cells.

Question 4

Unipotent

Answer 4

Can give rise to one specific type of the adult body tissue cells.

Question 5

Differentiation

Answer 5

The process in which relatively unspeciliased cells acquire specialized structural and/or functional features that characterizes the cells, tissues or organs of the organism. Allows a pattern of gene-expression and protein activity.

Question 6

Potency

Answer 6

The number of possible biological fates open to a cell. Totipotent: all fates possible (zygote). Multi/pluripotent: many fates possible (embryonic germ cells). Bi/unipotent:two/one fate possible.

Question 7

Induced pluripotent stem cells

Answer 7

iPSC. Somatic cells that have their nucleus reprogrammed and become iPSC. Human cells can be reprogrammed using: OCT4, SOX2, NANOG and LIN28. These iPSC cells have stem cell markers, self renewal capability, differentiation potential, can be cultured and can form all the germ layers.

Question 8

What are the 4 factors for producing iPSC?

Answer 8

OCT4, SOX2, NANOG and LIN28.

Question 9

What are human embryonic stem cells?

Answer 9

Pluripotent cells that are derived from early stage human embryos.

Question 10

What are pluripotent stem cells?

Answer 10

Cells that have the ability the self-renew indefinitely and to differentiate into endoderm, ectoderm and mesoderm, the 3 germ cell layers that give rise to all cell types in the body.

Question 11

What are neural stem cells?

Answer 11

Self-renewing, multipotent cells that generate the neurons and glia of the nervous system of all animals during embryonic development. Some neural stem cells persist in the adult vertebrate brain and continue to produce neurons throughout life.

Question 12

What are haemopoietic stem cells?

Answer 12

Cells that give rise to all blood cell types through the process of hematopoiesis. They are derived from mesoderm and located in the red bone marrow, which is contained in the core of most bones.