Stem Cells: Definition, Classification, and Medical Applications

Stem Cell Characteristics

• The main characteristic of stem cells related to cell division is their ability to self-renew, meaning they can divide to produce more stem cells.

Stem Cell Differentiation

• The term used to describe the ability of stem cells to differentiate into specialized cells is potency.

Nucleus of Stem Cells

• The main characteristic of the nucleus of a stem cell is that it is diploid, containing a complete set of chromosomes.

Cytoplasm of Stem Cells

• The cytoplasm of a stem cell contains a high concentration of organelles, particularly ribosomes, which are involved in protein synthesis.

Stem Cell Location

• Stem cells are located in specific regions of the body, such as bone marrow, adipose tissue, and epithelial tissues.

Stem Cell Niche

• The characteristic of a stem cell niche is that it provides a unique microenvironment that supports stem cell self-renewal and maintenance.

Stem Cell Division

• In early embryonic life, symmetric division occurs to maintain the stem cell population.

Pluripotent Stem Cells

• The main characteristic of pluripotent stem cells is that they have the ability to differentiate into all three primary germ layers: ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm.

Stem Cell Division in Tissue Repair

• Under homeostatic conditions, stem cells regularly divide to repair and replace damaged tissues.

Stem Cell Plasticity

• The ability of stem cells under certain physiological or experimental conditions is known as stem cell plasticity, which allows them to change their differentiation pathway.