BRAINCAKETotipotent Stem Cells
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can divide continually and develop into other types of cell. The range of cell types a stem cell can produce is called its potency.
Totipotent cells can divide and produce any type of body cell. In mammals they also give rise to the extra-embryonic tissues, such as the placenta, so a single totipotent cell can develop into a whole organism. The zygote is totipotent, and so are the cells produced by its first few mitotic divisions. In mammals, totipotent cells exist only for a limited time in the very early embryo. After a few days the cells have become pluripotent.
Sign in free to see the rest of this lesson, the R.E.C.I.P.E. recall steps and the quiz
BrainCake is free. Make an account in seconds and pick up where this page stops.
Key terms in this lesson
- pluripotent
- Describes a stem cell, found in the early embryo, that can divide in unlimited numbers and differentiate into almost any body cell, but not the placenta.
More in Control of Gene Expression
- Pluripotent, Multipotent and Unipotent Stem Cells
- Stem Cells in Mature Plants
- Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
- Stem Cells in Treating Disease
- Transcription Factors
- Oestrogen and the Initiation of Transcription
- RNA Interference (siRNA and miRNA)
- Epigenetics
All 18 lessons in Control of Gene Expression · All AQA A-level Biology topics