Unlock your academic potential with my notes on Cell Biology, tailored specifically for students pursuing Biomedical Science, Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Biomaterial, Material Science (bio) Pharmacology, Medicine and Nursing. These notes are perfect for anyone looking to excel in...
This week is an introductory set to stem cells. In your final exam you will have multiple choice questions
on this topic, so to help you practice there are some practice multiple choice questions on vevox. You will
also find on Moodle a video of beating cardiomyocyte cells in cultures, that have started to develop and
function i.e. beating to a rhythm. Within the culture dish, the environment and adherent matrix to the
different components of the medium, feed the cell nutrients it needs to grow. If we leave the cells too
long the composition changes and embryonic stem cells (ESC) beat into spontaneous cardiomyocyte cells.
Further reading and information is available on Moodle, there will be a question on Stem cells in your
exam so please use it for your revision.
LO:
An introduction to stem cells.
Understand what stem cells are.
Key features of stem cells.
How stem cells renew.
We will think about stem cells from two perspectives:
In vivo – in the body
In vitro – in the lab
Stem cells can divide and self-renew through cell division for long periods of time. They are an
unspecialised population, only developing new cells. Stem cells give rise to specialised cells after division
called differentiation.
Key words: Most potent to least potent- Chapter 22
Totipotent: Can generate full embryo plus the placenta and extraembryonic tissues.
Pluripotent: can generate all the cells in the embryo but not the extra embryonic tissues or the
placenta. i.e. induced pluripotent stem cell.
Multipotent: can become more than one specialised cell.
Unipotent- gives rise to one specialised cell i.e. muscle stem cell.
Progenitor – intermediate cell type between stem cells and differentiated cells.
Stem cells and their renewal
When a stem cell divides, each daughter cell either becomes a stem cell or a different type of cell
associated with differentiation. This means it can be symmetric or asymmetric, divide and develop into a
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