Topic 4: Cellular Differentiation Flashcards
What is the definition of cellular differentiation?
Cellular differentiation is the process by which a cell expresses certain genes to produce proteins
What does cellular differentiation allow?
Cells to carry out specialised functions
What does differentiation in specialised plant cells produce?
Meristems
What does differentiation in specialised animal cells produce?
Embryonic and tissue stem cells
What are Meristems?
Regions of unspecialised cells in plants that can divide and/or differentiate
What are stem cells?
Unspecialised cells in animals that can divide and/or differentiate
What can happen to all the genes in an embryonic stem cell?
They can be switched on and differentiate into any cell type
What can pluripotent cells do?
They can differentiate into all cell types and are capable of differentiating into all the cell types that make up the organism
What are tissue stem cells involved in?
Growth, repair and renewal of cells found in that tissue
What can multipotent cells do?
They can only differentiate into the types of cell found in a particular tissue type
What do blood stem cells located in the bone marrow give rise to?
All types of blood cell
What are some therapeutic uses of stem cells involved for?
Repair of damaged or diseased organs or tissues
What else can stem cells be used in?
Corneal repair (eyes) and regeneration of damaged skin
In what conditions can stem cells from the embryo self renew?
Stem cells from the embryo can self renew in vitro - in the lab under the right conditions
How can stem cells be used for studying diseases and testing drugs?
Stem cells are able to be used as model cells to study how diseases develop or for drug testing
