what is a differentiated cell

wrennie · Silver Member Joined: 23 Feb 2002 Posts: 296

I would like to know more about differentiated cells? It does not pass a day without me hearing something about that and about stem cells. I would appreciate if someone could explain to me cellular differentiation.

deasy · Newbie Joined: 11 Jun 2005 Posts: 19

Cellular differentiation is a concept from developmental biology. It describes the process by which cells acquire a "type". The morphology of a cell may change dramatically during differentiation. However, the genetic material remains the same with few exceptions. A cell that is able to differentiate into many cell types is known as pluripotent and these cells are called stem cells in animals and meristematic cells in higher plants. A cell that is able to differentiate into all cell types is known as totipotent and in mammals, only the zygote and early embryonic cells are totipotent. In plants, many differentiated cells can become totipotent with simple laboratory techniques. All different cell types in the human body are all derived from a single fertilized egg cell through differentiation. Differentiation is the process by which an unspecialized cell becomes specialized into one of the many cells that make up the body such as a heart, muscle or liver cell.

what is a differentiated cell

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