Multipotent

Multipotent is a term used in biology and cell biology to describe a type of stem cell that has the capacity to self-renew by dividing and to develop into multiple, but a limited number of cell types in the body. For example, a multipotent blood stem cell — which is also known as a hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) — can give rise to all the different types of blood cells but cannot develop into brain cells or other types of cells. At the end of the long series of cell divisions that forms the embryo, cells become increasingly specialized. This process is known as cell differentiation.

Characteristics

Multipotent cells are characterized by their ability to self-renew and differentiate into a specific range of cell types. The number of cell types that they can differentiate into is specific to their tissue of origin. For example, multipotent stem cells in the bone marrow, which are known as mesenchymal stem cells, can differentiate into bone cells, cartilage cells, and fat cells.

Examples

Examples of multipotent stem cells include neural stem cells, which can produce the three major cell types of the brain, and hematopoietic stem cells, which can produce all the types of blood cells. Other examples include mesenchymal stem cells, which can produce a variety of cell types including osteoblasts (bone cells), myocytes (muscle cells), adipocytes (fat cells), and chondrocytes (cartilage cells).

Research and Clinical Applications

Research into multipotent stem cells has increased our understanding of how complex organisms develop from a single fertilized egg cell and how healthy cells replace damaged cells in adult organisms. This has led to the development of new medical treatments for a variety of conditions including leukemia, metabolic disorders, and immunodeficiencies.

See Also

• Pluripotent
• Totipotent
• Oligopotent
• Unipotent

References

Multipotent Resources
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