Stem Cell Differentiation

Stem cell differentiation involves the changing of a cell to a more specialized cell type, involving a switch from proliferation to specialization. This involves a succession of alterations in cell morphology, membrane potential, metabolic activity and responsiveness to certain signals. Differentiation leads to the commitment of a cell to developmental lineages and the acquisition of specific functions of committed cells depending upon the tissue in which they will finally reside. Stem cell differentiation is tightly regulated by signaling pathways and modifications in gene expression.

Stem cells can be categorized into groups depending on their ability to differentiate.

• Totipotent: can differentiate into all cell types;
• Pluripotent: can differentiate into almost all cell types;
• Multipotent: can differentiate into a related family of cell types;
• Oligopotent: can differentiate into a few different cells;
• Unipotent: can produce one cell type only.

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent cells that differentiate as a result of signaling mechanisms. These are tightly controlled by most growth factors, cytokines and epigenetic processes such as DNA methylation and chromatin remodeling. ESCs divide into two cells: one is a duplicate stem cell (the process of self-renewal) and the other daughter cell is one which will differentiate. The daughter cells divides and after each division it becomes more specialized. When it reaches a mature cell type downstream (for example, becomes a red blood cell) it will no longer divide. The ability of ESCs to differentiate is currently being researched for the treatment of many diseases including Parkinson's disease and cancer.

Adult or 'somatic' stem cells are thought to be undifferentiated. Their primary role is to self-renew and maintain or repair the tissue in which they reside.

View all pluripotent stem cell resources available from Bio-Techne.

Resources for Stem Cell Differentiation

Blog Post: Regenerative Medicine - From Bench to Clinic

Regenerative medicine is the repair or replacement of damaged or diseased tissue to restore normal tissue function. This blog post discusses the development of a new cell therapy product derived from PSCs for regenerative medicine use in Parkinson's disease.

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Blog Post: Small Molecules for Neuronal Differentiation of Stem Cells

Neurons derived from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are a source of considerable therapeutic potential for neurodegenerative diseases. This blog post outlines the development of a small molecule-based protocol for the differentiation of human induced PSCs into functional cortical neurons.

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