zool 410 perspectives on stem cells

7/29/2019 ZOOL 410 Perspectives on Stem Cells

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Datoya BrownZOOL 410-02 Principles of Genetics

28 November 2012


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Stem cells are cells that: Are not committed to a specific fate

Are pluripotent, i.e. they can give rise to multiple

different cell types Are capable of long-term self-renewal; they are able

to proliferate, but they renew themselves during eachdivision


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They can give rise to, or differentiate into, multiple cell types This trait is unique to stem cells; all other cells are committed to a

specific fate they cant convert to a different cell fate (trans-differentiation) or revert back to a more stem-cell like,uncommitted state either (de-differentiation)


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Are capable of long-term self-renewal

They are highly proliferative

Each division produces one cell that will go on todifferentiate and one cell that remains a stem cell (self-renewal):


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Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) Derived from very early embryos

The only truly TOTIpotent cells (can giverise to ANY cell type in the body)

Adult (somatic) stem cells These cells reside in adults

All are pluripotent, but some are capableof giving rise to more cell types thanothers

Adult stem cell populations include: Intestinal stem cells

Adipose stem cells

Bone marrow stem cells

Hematopoietic stem cells

Cord blood stem cells


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Studying the process of differentiation Providing a model for testing drugs and

treatments Generating cells and tissues for

replacement therapies in diseases that arecaused by or result from cell death intissues that cannot regenerate themselves: heart disease stroke diabetes burns Alzheimers and other neurodegenerative

disorders spinal cord injuries arthritis etc.


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Significant drawbacks to ES cells have limitedtheir development as a clinical tool, to some

extent: Ethical considerations

ES cell-derived tissues would be recognized as foreignby your immune system, and could be attacked as a

result (host-vs-graft) Some concern that ES cell-derived tissues could be

tumorigenic if their differentiation is incomplete(might retain highly proliferative capability)


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Hassiotou, Beltran, Chetwynd et al. Breastmilk Is a Novel Source of Stem Cells

with Multilineage Differentiation Potential.(2012). Stem Cells, (30):21642174

Hypothesis The presence of these cells in breastmilk highlights it as a

novel and noninvasive source of multipotent patient-specific

stem cells, with the potential for application in regenerative

medicine and in studies of molecular determinants of cancer

Purpose In this study, we sought to examine regulators of the self-

renewal of hBSCs and their plasticity and potential to

differentiate toward cell types outside the mammary lineage


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Evans, M.J., Kaufman, M.H. Establishment in culture of pluripotential cells

from mouse embryos. Nature, 1983; 292:154-156.

Hassiotou, Beltran, Chetwynd et al. Breastmilk Is a Novel Source of Stem

Cells with Multilineage Differentiation Potential.(2012). Stem Cells,(30):21642174

zool 410 perspectives on stem cells

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