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STEM CELLS

Part 1
 How does a one cell zygote become
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a human?

The fusion of a haploid male gamete and female gamete leads to the
formation of a zygote. A zygote is a fertilized egg.

Embryogenesis

zygote

During meiosis:
Half human chromosome goes to
each sperm (23)
Half human chromosome goes to
each egg (23)
After fertilization of one egg by one
sperm: 23+23= 46

http://embryo.soad.umich.edu/carnStages/carnStages.html
Image courtesy of Brad Smith, University of Michigan
 WHAT ARE STEM CELLS?
Capable of differentiating into any kind of cell.

Taken from human, days old embryos.

Capable of developing into any of nearly 220 cell types

that make up the human body.
When this cell divides, it creates one stem cell and one
specialized cells that perform specific functions, such
as blood cells.

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Kinds of Stem Cells

Embryonic stem cells come from a five to six-day-old embryo.

Have the ability to form virtually any type of cell found in the
human body.

Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells found among

specialized or differentiated cells in a tissue or organ after birth.

http://stemcellgurus.files.wordpress.com
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Types of stem cells

▪Totipotent: Can develop to all postembryonic tissues and
organs.

▪Pluripotent: capable of giving rise to most tissues of an

organism.

▪Multipotent: specialized to give rise to a particular cell

type.
 The history of a medical sensation 6

1981: Martin Evans ,University of Cambridge is first to

identify embryonic stem cells – in mice

1998: James Thomson (University of Wisconsin) and John Gearhart

(Johns Hopkins) isolated human embryonic stem cells and grew
them in the lab. Nobel Prize 2007

2001: Bush controversy

2006: Shinya Yamanaka , Kyoto University reprograms ordinary adult

cells to form "induced pluripotent stem cells".

2009: Obama- Empowerd

2010: Medical treatment of Spinal injury using hESCs
2012: Medical treatment of Blindness using hESCs
2014: Human trials using iPSCs

Nobel Prize 2012

Ref: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24970
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The fertilized egg is totipotent!

If any of these cells are placed into a uterus,

they have the potential to develop into a fetus.
 The inner cell mass is pluripotent 8

Some cells in ICM are differentiated (committed to a

developmental path)

ICM cells can give rise to many, but not all types of cells necessary for development.
ICM cells placed in a uterus do not develop into a fetus.
As pluripotent cells become more 9

specialized, they are committed to give

rise to a particular cell type (multipotent).
How are stem cells derived? 10

1. Isolation from ICM

2. Germ cells of fetuses
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How are stem cells derived?

3. Somatic cell nuclear transfer

Enucleated egg

Surrogate mother

INJECTION OF NUCLEUS
in egg whose nucleus has been removed
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Adult stem cells (ASC)?

▪ Umbilical cord blood
▪ Placenta
▪ Adult blood (other tissues e.g. bone marrow, muscle?)
 Derivation and Use of Embryonic
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Stem Cells
Isolated inner cell mass
Inactivated mouse embryonic
fibroblast (MEF) feeder cells

Cultured blastocyst Cells dissociated and replated

New MEF
Partially differentiated

Established embryonic stem

cell injected back

Patient cell culture

Differentiation Other tissues

Airway epithelium Intestinal cells

Pancreatic β cells
 Adult stem cell
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Regeneration …that we all know

▪ Outstanding Examples
cut
▪ Planarian

▪ Newt cut

▪ Embryos
http://pearsonlab.ca

▪ Inverse Relationship

▪ Increase complexity

▪ Decrease regenerative ability

http://www.medgadget.com
 Regeneration in Humans 15

High Moderate Low

Adult Stem cells have also been
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discovered in multiple organs

Illustration by Matt Bohan, 2007

Hematopoietic Stem Cell (HSC) 17
Hematopoietic Stem Cell use 18

http://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/bone -marrow-transplantation.htm
 Umbilical cord stem cells (UCS cells):
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an alternate source of stem cells

▪ Adult stem cells of infant origin

▪ Isolated prior to/ immediately following birth

▪ Haematopoietic stem cells (Majority)

▪ 100,000 stem cells per mL in Umbilical Cord Blood

▪ Alternate to bone marrow stem cells

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End

Part 1