Sage-Tips

How do cells differentiate into cells with different functions?

Cell differentiation is how generic embryonic cells become specialized cells. This occurs through a process called gene expression. Gene expression is the specific combination of genes that are turned on or off (expressed or repressed), and this is what dictates how a cell functions.

What location does cell differentiation occur?

embryonic development
Differentiation from visibly undifferentiated precursor cells occurs during embryonic development, during metamorphosis of larval forms, and following the separation of parts in asexual reproduction. It also takes place in adult organisms during the renewal of tissues and the regeneration of missing parts.

How do cells stay differentiated?

When cells express specific genes that characterise a certain type of cell we say that a cell has become differentiated. Multicellular organisms must therefore retain some unspecialised cells that can replenish cells when needed. These unspecialised cells are called stem cells.

How does cell polarity work?

Cell polarity refers to the intrinsic asymmetry observed in cells, either in their shape, structure, or organization of cellular components. Once established, cell polarity is maintained by transcytosis, in which vesicles carry incorrectly-localized membrane proteins to the correct regions in the plasma membrane.

How do cytoplasmic determinants controls the process of cell differentiation?

The main role of cytoplasmic determinants is the regulation of gene expression. Due to the uneven distribution of cytoplasmic determinants within the cytoplasm, the daughter cells inherit different amounts of them during cell division. Therefore, the gene expression in daughter cells may also differ from each other.

How do cytoplasmic determinants affect cell differentiation?

Cytoplasmic determinants affect cell differentiation by determining which regions of an embryo will form what structures.

When a cell is differentiated and has a specific structure and function?

Cell differentiation, the fourth process, is a gradual process by which cells acquire different structure and function from one another, resulting in the emergence of distinct cell types, for example, neurons or skin cells. Differentiation is fundamentally about the different proteins cells contain.

What is cell polarity and why is it important?

Cell polarity is a fundamental phenomenon in biology that is caused by the unequal distribution of a few molecules, leading to the nonuniform distribution of many other molecules, enabling cells to execute a wide variety of processes including migration, cell killing and the entirety of development.

What does it mean when a cell is polarized?

In biology, polarization pertains to the act or process of producing a positive electrical charge and a negative electrical charge such that between a nerve cell internal electrical charge, which is negative, and the surrounding environment of a nerve cell, which is positive.

How are cytoplasmic determinants distributed?

During the segmentation, cytoplasmic determinants are distributed among the blastomeres, at different times depending on the species and on the type of determinant. Therefore, the daughter cells resulting from the first divisions are totipotent : they can, independently, lead to a complete individual.

Where are cytoplasmic determinants?

Cytoplasmic determinants are also found in some post-embryonic cells, where they produce cytoplasmic asymmetry (q.v.). In dividing cells, this leads to asymmetric cell division in which each of the daughter cells differentiates into a different cell type.

How does distribution of cytoplasmic determinants occur?