Unit 1 Key Area 1 Flashcards
Cellular Differentiation
The process by which a cell expresses certain genes to produce proteins characteristic for that type of cell
Embryonic stem cells are…
Pluripotent- All the genes in an embryonic stem cell can be switched on so these cells can differentiate into any type of cell
Somatic cells divide by….
Mitosis
Germline cell Division
Germline cells divide by mitosis to produce more germline cells.
Germline cells divide by Meosis to produce haploid gametes .
What are tissue stem cells involved in?
Growth, Renewal and Repair (GRR) of cells found in that tissue.
Where are blood stem cells located?
Bone Marrow
Therapeutic use of stem cells
Corneal Repair
Regeneration of damaged skin (skin grafts)
Research use of stem cells
Research uses involve stem cells being used as model cells to study how diseases develop for drug testing.
3 Views AGAINST embryonic stem cell research
- A human life begins with a fertilised egg and it should not be harmed.
- A fertilised egg is a human being with a soul
- Stem cell research is unnatural
3 views FOR embryonic stem cell research
- Stem cell research has the potential to benefit millions of people with medical conditions
- At 14 days or less, the fertilised egg has developed into an embryo but it does not have a brain, or nervous system or any ‘feelings’
- Stem cell research uses embryos that were developed for IVF but were not used and would be destroyed anyway
Why do cancer cells divide excessively?
Because they do not respond to regulatory signals
How is a tumour created?
When cancer cells divide excessively to produce a mass of abnormal cells called a tumour.
Metastasis
The spread of cancer from its primary site to other places in the body.
What actually is metastasis?
When cells within a tumour fail to attach to each other and as a consequence spread through the body to other tissues and organs where they may form secondary tumours.
