Intro to Stem Cells & Induced

Question 1

What are the two cardinal properties that make stem cells?

Answer 1

Self renewal

they can differentiate into all of the cells of a tissue or lineage

Question 2

What can we use stem cells for?

Answer 2

Transplants – e.g bone barrow - due to cancer such as leukaemia, lymphoma, MS

Stem cells allow us to generate cells we need for research

Use the cells for researching – Gain of function/loss of function studies by adding/removing a gene to see what it does
Use to understand development technology
Use for drug discovery e.g. make neurons to see how drugs work on neurons
Use for cell replacement therapy

Question 3

What are the 3 germ layers in the gastrula?

Answer 3

Endoderm
Mesoderm
Ectoderm

Question 4

What type of cells come from the endoderm?

Answer 4

Digestive system
Liver
Pancreas
Lungs (inner layers)

Question 5

What type of cells come from the mesoderm?

Answer 5

Circulatory system - cardiac muscle
Lungs (epithelial layers)
Skeletal system
Muscular system - smooth muscle

Question 6

What type of cells come from the ectoderm?

Answer 6

Hair
Nails
Skin - pigment cells
Nervous system

Question 7

Define totipotent and which cells are these?

Answer 7

zygote - can make all the cells required to make up the body

Question 8

What does it mean that embryonic stem cells are pluripotent?

Answer 8

– pluripotent – they can make any type of cell in the body but can’t make up all the tissues required for the body

Question 9

What does multipotent mean?

Answer 9

they can make all the cells of a specific tissue or lineage (tissue specific/adult stem cells)

Question 10

What makes cells different? cell differentiation

Answer 10

they all have the same genetic code but they express different genes and levels of genes
The epigenetic and modification of the histones/DNA control the differentiation of cells

Question 11

How can stem cells be used in regenerative medicine?

Answer 11

Stroke
Traumatic brain injury 
Alzheimer's disease
Missing teeth
Wound healing
Bone marrow transplant
Spinal cord injury 
Baldness
Myocardial infarction 
Blindness 
Deafness
Crohn's disease

Question 12

Why might using stem cells in a transplant be dangerous?

Answer 12

Risk of cancer formation

Risk of rejection

Question 13

What does iPSC stand for and what can it differentiate into??

Answer 13

Induced pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into the 3 germ layers: 1. Mesoderm 2. Ectoderm 3. Endoderm In essence, it is possible to make any stem cell and make it more patient specific N.B. They don’t come from an embryo

Question 14

What work did Shinya Yamanakat do?

Answer 14

Introducing 4 transcription factors using a retrovirus into a skin cell to turn into pluripotent cells

Question 15

What were the 4 transcription factors used?

Answer 15

Oct3/4, c-Myc, Klf4, Sox2

Question 16

Why would we still use drugs over stem cell therapy?

Answer 16

Cost
Less invasive
Challenges – rejections

Question 17

What are totipotent cells?

Answer 17

totipotent stem cells have the potential to develop into any cell found in the human body as well as making extra embryonic cells. They can make any entire organism N.B. It can’t self-renew yet. Embryonic cells within the first couple of cell divisions after fertilization are the only cells that are totipotent

Question 18

Give the 4 types of cells that mesodermal progenitors can be divided into

Answer 18

1. mesenchymal stem cells 2. endothelial progenitors 3. haematopoietic stem cells 4. Cardiac progenitors

Question 19

Give examples of endothelial progenitors (2)

Answer 19

1. Arteries 2. Veins

Question 20

What are the 2 different methods for ESC (embryonic stem cell) differentiation?

Answer 20

1. Developmental approach 2. Empirical approach (more efficient)

Question 21

What’s the biggest issue with ESC (embryonic stem cell) and possible iPSC?

Answer 21

Tumour genicity

Question 22

What is it that iPSCs can give us that ESCs can’t give us?

Answer 22

Patient and disease specificity