BRAINCAKEEmbryonic Stem Cells
Embryonic stem cells are stem cells taken from an early embryo.
Source
They are usually obtained from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, about 5 days after fertilisation. The embryos used are generally spare embryos created during in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment that would otherwise be discarded. Removing the inner cell mass destroys the embryo. The cells are grown in culture, where they can divide many times to produce a large supply.
Potency
Cells from the inner cell mass are pluripotent: they can differentiate into any type of body cell. Cells taken from an even earlier embryo, up to about the 8-cell stage, are totipotent.
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Key terms in this lesson
- totipotent
- Describes a cell able to divide and differentiate into any cell type of an organism, including extra-embryonic tissues such as the placenta.
More in Gene Expression
- siRNA
- Cell Differentiation
- Early Stages of Development
- Stem Cells
- Umbilical Cord Stem Cells
- Adult Stem Cells
- Determination of Cell Type
- Evidence for Cell Determination
All 39 lessons in Gene Expression · All Edexcel A-level Biology topics