Key Area 4 : Cellular Differentiation
Cellular Differentiation is the process by which a cell expresses certain genes to produce
PROTEINS characteristic for that type of cell. This allows a cell to carry out specialised
functions.
STEM CELLS
Stem cells are UNSPECIALISED CELLS in animals that can divide (SELF-RENEW) and/or
Differentiate.
There are 2 Types of Stem Cells : Embryonic and Tissue
EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS
EMBRYONIC stems cells can differentiate into ALL THE CELL TYPES that make up the
organism and so are PLURIPOTENT.
Example
All the genes in embryonic stem cells can be switched on so these cells can differentiate
into ANY TYPE OF CELL.