9477 / 2027

Stem cells and differentiation

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Which property defines self-renewal?

  1. Producing only terminally differentiated descendants at every division
  2. Maintaining stem cells while producing descendants
  3. Making every possible body and extraembryonic cell type
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Maintaining stem cells while producing descendants

The stem-cell pool can persist through divisions.

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Which is NOT a property of a pluripotent embryonic stem cell?

  1. It can form the placenta and other extraembryonic tissues.
  2. It contains the full genome of the organism.
  3. It can divide to renew the stem-cell population.
  4. It can differentiate into nerve, muscle and blood cells.
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It can form the placenta and other extraembryonic tissues.

That wider range belongs to totipotent cells such as the zygote. Pluripotent cells form the body's cell types.

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Which is a normal function of the myeloid branch in this simplified model?

  1. Producing B-cell and T-cell descendants through the lymphoid branch
  2. Producing all extraembryonic tissues
  3. Producing red-cell and several innate immune-cell lineages
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Producing red-cell and several innate immune-cell lineages

These descendants arise through myeloid differentiation pathways.

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Question 1 of 5

Classify developmental evidence

3 marks

A produces body and extraembryonic cell types. B produces all major body cell types but not all supporting extraembryonic tissues. C produces lymphocyte types only. Classify their potency and distinguish it from self-renewal. [3]

Use the demonstrated range of descendants.

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