Biology / Unit 13 Bio 3375 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Stem Cell Potency
Captions available
The idea
Stem cell potency ranges from totipotent, forming a whole organism plus supporting tissue, to pluripotent, forming any body cell type, to multipotent, restricted to one tissue lineage.
In practice
A fertilized egg's earliest cells are totipotent; most adult stem cells are only multipotent.
Where people slip
Pluripotent is not the same as totipotent — a pluripotent cell cannot alone form the placenta an embryo needs.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Unlocks
- Nothing yet depends on this.
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for Biology