Cellular Differentiation 1.4 Flashcards
What is cellular differentiation?
What does it allow the cell to do ?
Cellular differentiation is the process by which a cell expresses certain genes to produce proteins characteristic for that type of cell.
This allows a cell to carry out specialised functions.
What are Meristems?
Meristems are regions of unspecialised
cells in plants that can divide (self-renew)
and/or differentiate.
What are stem cells?
Stem cells are unspecialised cells in
animals that can divide (self-renew) and/or
differentiate.
Are embryonic stem cells multi or pluripotent? Why?
Cells in the very early embryo can
differentiate into all the cell types that make
up the organism and so are pluripotent.
What are tissue stem cells involved in?
Are they multi or pluri potent?
Tissue stem cells are involved in the
growth, repair and renewal of the cells
found in that tissue.
They are multipotent
What happens in embryonic stem cells so that they can differentiate?
All the genes in embryonic stem cells can
be switched on so these cells can
differentiate into any type of cell.
Why are tissue stem cells multipotent?
Example?
Tissue stem cells are multipotent as they can differentiate into all of the types of cell found in a particular tissue type
Blood stem cells in bone marrow can become any type of blood cell.
What are the theraputic uses of stem cells?
The therapeutic uses of stem cells are corneal repair and the regeneration of damaged skin, the repair of damaged or diseased organs or tissues.
What can stem cells from the embryo do under the right conditions (in the lab)?
Stem cells from the embryo can selfrenew, under the right conditions, in the lab.
How can stem cells be used in research?
Research uses involve stem cells being
used as model cells to study how diseases
develop or being used for drug testing.
What does stem cell research provide information on?
Stem cell research provides information on
how cell processes such as cell growth,
differentiation and gene regulation work.
What is the ethical issues of using embryonic stem cells ?
Use of embryonic stem cells can offer
effective treatments for disease and injury;
however, it involves destruction of
embryos.
What type of organism has differentiated cells?
Multicellular eukaryotes
