Human Molecular Genetics - Lecture Twenty Six : Cellular Differentiation, stem cells and modern medicine

4 important questions on Human Molecular Genetics - Lecture Twenty Six : Cellular Differentiation, stem cells and modern medicine

What is the basic principle of embryonic development ?

  • Embryo begins as a small number of naïve, totipotent cells
  • Embryonic stem cells can give rise to all cell types except trophectoderm (pluripotent)
  • Progressive restriction of cell fate until terminally differentiated, and can only give rise to same type of cell.
  • Exception: stem cells, germ cells (eggs & sperm)

How are cells differentiated ?

  1. Pluripotent stem cell
  2. Muscle genes are not being transcribed because the master regulatory gene is OFF
  3. Master gene is turned on from an environmental stimuli
  4. This then produces a muscle cell, which then goes on to turn other genes specific to that particular tissue, as well as MyoD protein its own transcription factor

What make stem cells special ?

Stem cells have the ability to form any type of cell in the body.Important for tissues such as blood and skin which need constant renewingDifferent environmental stimuli are used to persuade stem cells to develop into different kinds of cells, with limited fates.
EXAMPLE :
Blood stem cells or hematopoietic stem cells are found in the bone marrow and can be used for transplants.
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Compare and Contrast Adult stem cells vs Embryonic stem cells ?

ADULT STEM CELLS : Cells that generate a limited number of cell types
  • Stem cells such as bone marrow cells usually only give rise to one or a few sell types : multipotent.
EMBRONIC STEM CELLS : Cells that generate all embryonic cell types
  • Stem cells are pluripotent and can become all/any cells of the body

COMPARISON :
  • A fertilised egg is totipotent, able to give rise to all cell types through cell division
  • Different culture conditions are used to persuade stem cells to develop into different kinds of differentiated cell

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