In principle, how many different cell types can an organism having four different types of transcription regulators and thousands of genes create?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The number of different cell types that can be created is determined by the number of possible combinations of the transcription regulators. With four different types of regulators, there are 2^4 (or 16) possible combinations. However, the actual number of different cell types that can be created will be influenced by other factors such as epigenetic modifications, post-transcriptional modifications, and environmental cues, among others. Therefore, the correct answer is C, as this represents the maximum theoretical number of different cell types that can be created based solely on transcription regulator combinations.

In Principle, How Many Different Cell Types Can an Organism