Stem cells are like normal cells because they have the complete genome, which is the complete set of chromosomes in a cell (Macy, 2011), refer to Figure 1. However, the stem cells have characteristics that are different from other cells, and therefore are not classified as body cells. Stem cells are a class of undifferentiated cells. The term undifferentiated refers to when cells have a particular function in the body; they are differentiated and therefore specialized. Since the Stem cells are not specialized, when a few genes are expressed, the cells change into specialized cells, which then carry out particular functions in the body of the multicellular organism.
What are the Sources of Stem Cells?.
Stem cells have two main sources from which they can be derived from. One of the sources is the embryonic Stem cells. During the embryological development of a fetus, Stem cells are present. When the sperm cell and the egg cell form a zygote, which divides, these cells are not specialized, and therefore are Stem cells. The Stem cells are extracted after tree to five days of fertilization. There are about 150 cells. Another source of Stem cells are the adult tissue, refer to figure 2. In Adults, Stem cells are found in the bone marrow and fat. "However, compared with embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells have a more limited ability to give rise to various cells of the body." MNT. (n.d.). .
How are Stem Cells Different from Other Body Cells?.
Since Stem cells are not specialized, and therefore none of the genes in the chromosomes found in the cell are expressed. Therefore, Stem cells have characteristics that are not usually found in Body Cells. Some of the Characteristics are: .
1. Stem cells have the ability to divide and renew themselves. This means, the stem cells are able to replicate themselves over a period of many months into millions of Stem cells, under laboratory conditions. Body cells such as Muscle cells and Nerve cells do not replicate (Clinic, n.
