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    NOTES - 10.4 Cell Differentiation

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    MUHAMMAD SHAYAN
    Cell differentiation is the process by which cells become specialized. As a fertilized egg develops into an embryo, cells begin to differentiate and take on specific functions. Stem cells are unique in that they can both self-renew and differentiate into other cell types. There are two main types - embryonic stem cells from blastocysts and adult stem cells found in tissues. Stem cell research offers potential medical benefits but also ethical issues, particularly with embryonic stem cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells provide an alternative by reprogramming adult cells back to an embryonic-like state.

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    NOTES - 10.4 Cell Differentiation

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    MUHAMMAD SHAYAN
    152 views15 pages
    Cell differentiation is the process by which cells become specialized. As a fertilized egg develops into an embryo, cells begin to differentiate and take on specific functions. Stem cells are unique in that they can both self-renew and differentiate into other cell types. There are two main types - embryonic stem cells from blastocysts and adult stem cells found in tissues. Stem cell research offers potential medical benefits but also ethical issues, particularly with embryonic stem cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells provide an alternative by reprogramming adult cells back to an embryonic-like state.

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    Cell differentiation is the process by which cells become specialized. As a fertilized egg develops into an embryo, cells begin to differentiate and take on specific functions. Stem cells are unique in that they can both self-renew and differentiate into other cell types. There are two main types - embryonic stem cells from blastocysts and adult stem cells found in tissues. Stem cell research offers potential medical benefits but also ethical issues, particularly with embryonic stem cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells provide an alternative by reprogramming adult cells back to an embryonic-like state.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    152 views15 pages

    NOTES - 10.4 Cell Differentiation

    Uploaded by

    MUHAMMAD SHAYAN
    Cell differentiation is the process by which cells become specialized. As a fertilized egg develops into an embryo, cells begin to differentiate and take on specific functions. Stem cells are unique in that they can both self-renew and differentiate into other cell types. There are two main types - embryonic stem cells from blastocysts and adult stem cells found in tissues. Stem cell research offers potential medical benefits but also ethical issues, particularly with embryonic stem cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells provide an alternative by reprogramming adult cells back to an embryonic-like state.

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    of 15

    10.

    4 Cell Differentiation
    Vocabulary Key Concepts
    • Embryo • Pluripotent • How do cells become
    •Totipotent • Differentiation specialized for different
    • Multipotent • Blastocyst functions?
    • Stem cell
    • What are stem cells?
    • What are potential
    benefits and issues with
    stem cell research?
    Cell Differentiation

    • An adult human body can be made up from 1 trillion


    to 100 trillion cells depending on height, weight,
    etc…
    • Humans start from 1 cell and end up with many
    different types of cells (e.g. muscle cells, skin cells,)
    with different functions
    Cell Differentiation

    • As cell goes through


    multiple cell divisions, it is
    going through various
    developmental stages (e.g.
    zygote, embryo)
    • Each developmental stage,
    cells begin to differentiate
    and become specialized
    • DIFFERENTIATION: process
    of cells becoming specialized
    in structure and function (e.g.
    nerve cell)
    What are Stem Cells?
    Stem Cells are
    extraordinary because:
    1. They can divide and
    make identical copies of
    themselves over and over
    again through mitotic cell
    division (Self-Renewal)

    2. They have the potential


    to differentiate into a
    diverse range of specialized
    cell types (Potency)
    The Major Types of Stem Cells
    A. Embryonic Stem Cells
    • From blastocysts left over
    from In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
    in the laboratory

    B. Adult Stem Cells


    • Have been found in the blood,
    bone marrow, liver, kidney,
    cornea, dental pulp, umbilical
    cord, brain, skin, muscle,
    salivary gland . . .
    - Function: repair system for the
    body, replenishing specialized cells,
    but also maintaining the normal
    turnover of regenerative organs,
    such as blood, skin or intestinal
    Potency Definitions

    • Totipotent cells - can develop into any type of


    cell found in body
    • Pluripotent - are the descendants of totipotent
    cells and can differentiate into most but not all
    cell types
    Potency Definitions
    • Multipotent - can produce only cells of a closely related family
    of cells
    • (e.g. hematopoietic stem cells differentiate into red blood
    cells, white blood cells, platelets, etc.).
    • Unipotent - cells can produce only one cell type, but have the
    property of self-renewal which distinguishes them from non-
    stem cells
    • (e.g. muscle stem cells).
    http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Stem_cells_diagram.png
    Advantages and Disadvantages to
    Embryonic and Adult Stem Cells

    Embryonic S.C. Adult S.C.


    “Pluripotent” “Multipotent”

    Stable. Can undergo many Less Stable. Capacity for self-


    cell divisions. renewal is limited.
    Easy to obtain but blastocyst Difficult to isolate in adult
    is destroyed. tissue.

    Possibility of rejection?? Host rejection minimized


    Reprinted with permission of Do No Harm. Click on image for link to website.
    Why is Stem Cell Research So Important
    to All of Us?

    • Allow us to study how organisms grow and develop


    over time.
    • Can replace diseased or damaged cells that cannot
    heal or renew themselves.
    • Can test different substances (drugs and chemicals)
    on stem cells.
    • Can get a better understanding of our “genetic
    machinery.”
    Reprinted with permission from the Univ. of Kansas Medical Center. Click on image
    for link to originating website.
    What Human Diseases are Currently
    Experimentally Being Treated with
    Stem Cells?
    • Parkinson’s Disease
    • Leukemia (Bone Marrow Transplants)
    • Skin Grafts resulting from severe burns

    Stem Cell Therapy has the Potential to:


    • Regenerate tissues/organs
    • Cure diseases like diabetes, multiple sclerosis,
    etc.
    Why the Controversy Over Stem Cells?
    • Embryonic Stem cells are derived from extra
    blastocysts that would otherwise be discarded
    following IVF.
    • Extracting stem cells destroys the developing
    blastocyst (embryo).

    For further information: http://bioethics.gov/cgi-bin/bioeth-counter


    A Way Around the Controversy??

    •Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS cells)


    • are derived from skin or blood cells that have
    been reprogrammed back into an embryonic-
    like pluripotent state
    • enables the development of an unlimited source of any type
    of human cell needed for therapeutic purposes.
    • Examples
    • iPSC can be prodded into becoming beta islet cells to treat
    diabetes
    • blood cells to create new blood free of cancer cells for a
    leukemia patient
    • neurons to treat neurological disorders.

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