LIFE 120 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Embryonic Stem Cell, Cell Potency, Blastocyst
Document Summary
A zygote (or cell) is totipotent when it can give rise to every cell type in the adult body. Pluripotent stem cells are obtained from embryos and have the ability to form all of the cell types in the body. As development proceeds, the potential of cells becomes more restricted and eventually they are determined - meaning they produce proteins representative of the mature cell type. Unspecialized cells found in embryonic tissues, bone, marrow, etc. Totipotent zygote cell can give rise to every cell type in the adult body. Pluripotent - stem cells from embryos, can form all of the cell types in the body. In mammals, stem cells occur in tissues that require frequent replacement skin, blood, intestinal lining. Adult stem cells are multipotent: they produce daughter cells that differentiate into a few cell types. Example: stem cells in the bone marrow differentiate in response to specific growth factors. In culture gives rise to many cell types.
