Stem cells and totipotency

what is cell differentiation?

the process by which an unspecialised cells becomes specialised

what are totipotent cells?

cells that can divide and produce any type of body cell

Where are totipotent cells found?

early mammalian embryos

are unable to be extracted as of yet due to limited time available

How are totipotent cells specialised?

during development, totipotent cells translate only part of their DNA - results in cell specialisation

When are pluripotent stem cells found?

in embryos

What are pluripotent stem cells?

they can divide in unlimited numbers and can be used in treating human disorders

can differentiate into almost any type of cell

What are examples of pluripotent stem cells?

embryonic and fetal stem cells

Multipotent and unipotent stem cells are found where?

mature mammals

What are examples of multipotent stem cells?

adult stem cells

umbilical cord blood stem cells

What is an example of unipotent stem cells?

cardiomyocytes - heart muscles that can divide to produce new heart tissue

What does iPS stand for? What are they?

induce pluripotent stem cells

type of pluripotent cell that is produced from unipotent stem cells

iPS can be produced from what? how?

can be produced from adult somatic cells (any cells but reproductive cells) using appropriate protein transcription factors

What do the transcription factors do?

cause specific genes to be expressed