importance of cell differentiation Flashcards
2.5B
what do all cells begin as?
stem cells- these are not specialised to a particular job, but are able to divide many times by mitosis to make new cells
what does differentiate mean?
develop new features
what are specialised cells?
cells that have the structures and proteins needed to carry out a specific job in the organism
what is differentiation like in animal cells?
they differentiate at an early stage of development- meaning they lose the ability to differentiate early in the life of the organism
what are adult stem cells?
specific cells in various locations throughout the body of an animal retain the ability to differentiate throughout the life of the animal
what are adult stem cells involved in?
replacing and repairing cells (such as blood or skin cells)
what are specialised cells?
cells which carry out specific functions within an organism
what is differentiation controlled by?
the genetic information, known as DNA, inside the cell
during differentiation, what happens to the genes?
the genes are switched off so that they can’t be transcribed- this ensures that the only proteins produced in the specialised cell are the ones needed to carry out its particular job
in humans, what are the two different types of stem cell?
embryonic cells
adult stem cells
what are embryonic cells?
found in the early form of the embryo- they can differentiate into any type of cell
why are embryonic cells important?
they help to form all the different tissues and organs needed during development to form a whole new individual
where are adult stem cells present?
in some tissues in organisms from the time they have recognisable organs
how do adult stem cells divide?
by mitosis
how many types of specialised cells can adult cells differentiate into?
a few different types
what is an example of adult stem cells differentiating?
bone marrow stem cells can only form blood cells and bone cells
what are adult stem cells predominately used for?
to replace cells lost through damage or to produce new cells for growth
where are stem cells found in plants?
in the root and shoot tips, in the meristem tissue
what are meristem cells?
unspecialised cells that can differentiate into the cells needed by the plant in regions where growth is occurring
how can plant cells differentiate?
they can differentiate into any type of plant cell throughout the life of the plant
what can you use with plant stem cells?
to clone plants with desired characteristics- could be useful if plants had resistance to a particular disease
how can adult stem cells be made?
they can be cultures in the lab and made to differentiate into specialised cells
what diseases are stem cells used to treat?
leukaemia
what other diseases can stem cells treat in the future?
diabetes and paralysis
