When is a cell considered differentiated

An example of cell differentiation is the development of a single-celled zygote into a multicellular embryo that further develops into a more complex multisystem of distinct cell types of a fetus. The cell size, shape, polarity , metabolism and responsiveness to signal s change dramatically such that a less specialized cell becomes more specialized and acquires a more specific role. A cell that underwent differentiation is described as differentiated.

A differentiated cell means a cell that has changed in form and matured from being generalized into being more specific in terms of function. The term undifferentiated is used to describe a cell or a tissue that has not yet acquired a special structure and function.

An undifferentiated cell therefore would be a primitive cell or a progenitor cell that is yet to undergo cellular differentiation. Variant s :. Homeostasis is the relatively stable conditions of the internal environment that result from compensatory regulatory responses performed by homeostatic control systems.

Know the different components of homeostatic control systems, homeostatic regulators, and the various biological processes that homeostasis entail Researchers have recently developed induced pluripotent stem cells iPSCs from mouse and human adult stem cells. These cells are genetically reprogrammed multipotent adult cells that function like embryonic stem cells; they are capable of generating cells characteristic of all three germ layers. Because of their capacity to divide and differentiate into specialized cells, stem cells offer a potential treatment for diseases such as diabetes and heart disease Figure 3.

Cell-based therapy refers to treatment in which stem cells induced to differentiate in a growth dish are injected into a patient to repair damaged or destroyed cells or tissues. Many obstacles must be overcome for the application of cell-based therapy. Also, the destruction of embryos to isolate embryonic stem cells raises considerable ethical and legal questions.

In contrast, adult stem cells isolated from a patient are not seen as foreign by the body, but they have a limited range of differentiation. Some individuals bank the cord blood or deciduous teeth of their child, storing away those sources of stem cells for future use, should their child need it.

Induced pluripotent stem cells are considered a promising advance in the field because using them avoids the legal, ethical, and immunological pitfalls of embryonic stem cells. One of the major areas of research in biology is of how cells specialize to assume their unique structures and functions, since all cells essentially originate from a single fertilized egg.

Cell differentiation is the process of cells becoming specialized as their body develops. While all somatic cells contain the exact same genome, different cell types only express some of those genes at any given time.

The primary mechanism that determines which genes will be expressed and which ones will not, is through the use of different transcription factor proteins, which bind to DNA and promote or hinder the transcription of different genes.

Through the action of these transcription factors, cells specialize into one of hundreds of different cell types in the human body. Explain how a transcription factor ultimately determines whether or not a protein will be present in a given cell? Transcription factors bind to DNA and either promote or inhibit the transcription of a gene. Managing Cancer Care. Finding Health Care Services.

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Chromatin Remodeling and DNase 1 Sensitivity. Chromatin Remodeling in Eukaryotes. RNA Functions. Citation: Ralston, A. Nature Education 1 1 How is it that your body with all of its specialized organs developed from a single cell? Scientists are exploring how gene expression patterns and their timing regulate cell differentiation. Aa Aa Aa. Figure 1: Dolly the sheep.

All rights reserved. Cell-Extrinsic Regulation of Gene Expression. Figure 2: Microarray data collected at different times during metamorphosis reveals the effects of the ecdysone pulse on many downstream genetic pathways. A Changes in ecdysone levels affect the glycolytic pathway. Levels of a number of enzymes involved in this pathway are decreased as a result of the ecdysone pulse; these enzymes are listed in red next to the reactions they catalyze. B This array shows expression changes in various structural and regulatory genes involved in muscle formation myogenesis in response to the ecdysone pulse.

C This array shows how the ecdysone pulse alters expression of multiple genes involved in central nervous system restructuring, apoptosis, and cellular differentiation during metamorphosis. In both of the microarrays, red means that the gene was downregulated, while green means that the gene was upregulated.

Expression levels were measured at various points before and after pupal formation PF. Science , — Figure Detail. Cell-Intrinsic Regulation of Gene Expression. Figure 3: Epigenetic gene regulation during mammalian development. This figure depicts key developmental events together with global epigenetic modifications and gene expression patterns.

Very early in development, DNA methylation is erased. In addition, pluripotency-associated genes begin to be expressed, and developmental genes are repressed by the PcG protein system and H3K27 methylation. During the differentiation of pluripotent cells such as embryonic stem ES cells, pluripotency-associated genes are repressed, potentially permanently, as a result of DNA methylation.

At the same time, developmental genes begin to be expressed, and there is an increase in H3K4 methylation. During the early development of primordial germ cells PGCs , DNA methylation and repressive histone modifications such as H3K9 methylation are also erased.

Pluripotency-associated genes are re-expressed during a time window that allows embryonic germ cells to be derived in culture. Imprinted genes are demethylated during this period, and developmental genes are expressed afterwards. Flexible histone marks such as H3K27 methylation enable developmental genes to be silenced for a short time in pluripotent cells.

By contrast, DNA methylation enables the stable silencing of imprinted genes, transposons, and some pluripotency-associated genes. Nature , References and Recommended Reading Bernstein, B. Cell , — Giles, J. Nature , link to article Gurdon, J. Developmental Cell 10 , — Puri, P. Molecular Cell 1 , 35—45 Reik, W.

Nature , — link to article Vucic, E. Pharmacogenomics 9 , — White, K. Article History Close.