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What is the name given to unspecialised cells in animals?
Stem cells
How many types of stem cells are there and what are they?
Two- embryonic and tissue stem cells
Where are meristems located on a plant?
What is an embryonic stem cell?
Cells that come from an embryo and can differentiate into almost all body tissues
What is a stem cell?
Unspecialised cells in animals that can self renew and differentiate
What is a therapeutic use of stem cells?
To repair and replace damaged or diseased organs and tissues
Put these in increasing size order: organs, cells, systems, tissues
Cells, tissues, organs, systems
What is a meristem?
Region of unspecialised cells in plants
Phloem and xylem
What type of cells can stem cells be used as in research?
Model cells
What is a potential future use of stem cells?
Used to treat diseases such as diabetes and Alzheimer's
Are tissue stem cells multipotent or pluripotent?
Multipotent
Why are stem cells starting to be used instead of animals in drug testing?
Stem cells may be a viable alternative to animals for testing new drugs in the future
How can undifferentiated cells cause cancer?
Stem cells continuously regenerating could be potentially dangerous and, if poorly regulated, could give rise to many forms of cancer
What are tissue stem cells?
Stem cells that can differentiate into all of types of cells found in a particular tissue type
What does multipotent mean?
Stem cells that can differentiate into all of the types of cells found in a particular tissue type
What is a potential solution to the ethical issues surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells?
Induced pluripotency
What is induced pluripotency?
The process where adult differentiated cells are taken and re-engineered back to embryonic-like cells.
What is the ethical issue surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells?
The use of embryonic stem cells involves the destruction of embryos
What does stem cell research provide?
Information on cell growth, differentiation and gene regulation
Why are model cells used?
To study how diseases develop or they are used for drug testing
Give an example of a therapeutic use of stem cells
Skin graft, corneal repair
Define cellular differentiation
The process by which a cell expresses certain genes to produce proteins characteristic for that type of cell
What does pluripotent mean?
Stem cells that can differentiate into any cell type
What is an example of a place in the body where tissue stem cells are found?
Bone marrow