Question 1

Which of the following areas is not known to contain stem cells?

Accepted Answer

Muscle tissue is not traditionally known for containing stem cells in the same way as the skin, bone marrow, and the umbilical cord. While there are satellite cells in muscle tissue that can act in a stem cell-like manner for muscle repair, they are not considered true stem cells in the same context as those found in the other listed areas.

Question 2

Which is not true about the value of 3-D printing in regenerating organs?

Accepted Answer

3-D printing is still in the experimental stages for creating complicated organs due to the complexity and functionality required.

Question 3

Which statement best describes the difference between therapeutic and reproductive cloning?

Accepted Answer

Therapeutic cloning is used to produce stem cells that can be coerced into differentiating into a specific cell type, whereas reproductive cloning is used to produce organisms identical to what they were cloned from. In other words, therapeutic cloning is used to produce cells for medical purposes, while reproductive cloning is used to produce organisms for reproduction. Furthermore, the cells produced through therapeutic cloning are not genetically identical to their source, as the process involves extracting the nucleus from a somatic cell and inserting it into an egg cell, which has had its nucleus removed. This results in a new set of genetic information and thus, a different cell. In reproductive cloning, on the other hand, the genetic information of the cloned organism and the source organism is identical as the entire nucleus from the source organism is transferred into an egg cell to create a genetically identical copy.

Question 4

How is a stem cell different from a "normal" somatic cell? (Use a liver cell as an example.)

Accepted Answer

The answer of How is a stem cell different from...

Question 5

A cell with the ability to differentiate into several different types of cells is considered ________.

Accepted Answer

A multipotent cell can differentiate into several different types of cells, but is more limited than a pluripotent cell, which can become almost any cell type.

Question 6

At which point or stage would the majority of cells in the embryo no longer be stem cells?

Accepted Answer

After the organs start to develop, the majority of cells in the embryo would differentiate into specific cell types and no longer be stem cells. This occurs during the later stages of embryonic development, as stem cells are necessary for the initial stages of embryogenesis and the formation of the embryonic germ layers. Therefore, options A and B are incorrect as stem cells are still present in these stages. Option D is also incorrect as while there may still be some stem cells present in later stages, the majority would have differentiated into other cell types.

Question 7

Stem cell lines are developed from ________.

Accepted Answer

Stem cell lines are typically developed from the inner cell mass cells of a blastocyst, which can differentiate into all different types of cells in the body. This is why they are considered pluripotent. While cells from umbilical cords and amniotic fluid can also contain stem cells, they are not typically used to develop stem cell lines. Multipotent cells, while still able to differentiate into multiple different types of cells, are not as versatile as pluripotent cells and are not typically used to develop stem cell lines.

Question 8

Dolly the sheep ________.

Accepted Answer

Dolly the sheep was the first mammal cloned from an adult cell, specifically a mammary gland cell.

Question 9

Describe several potential applications for embryonic stem cell research.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe several potential applications for embryonic stem...

Question 10

Most people assume that cloning refers only to a whole organism, or reproductive cloning. Explain how therapeutic cloning is different from reproductive cloning.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Most people assume that cloning refers only...

Question 11

As stem cell research rapidly developed, it became a political and ethical issue. Describe how the ethical and political approach toward stem cell research has changed in the past decade.

Accepted Answer

The answer of As stem cell research rapidly developed, it...

Question 12

Which of the following is not needed in a reproductive cloning procedure?

Accepted Answer

In reproductive cloning, a diploid cell from the donor is needed, along with an egg cell from a female donor. However, a sperm cell is not needed as the procedure does not involve fertilization. A surrogate mother is required to carry the embryo to term.

Question 13

Before stem cell research was such a prominent topic in the news, many people were misinformed about embryonic stem cell research. Many people thought that this form of stem cell research could be completed only by collecting stem cells from electively aborted fetuses. Explain specifically where embryonic stem cells come from when used for research and why these cells would not typically be found in aborted fetuses.

Accepted Answer

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Question 14

Which lists the stem cells from the least to the highest degree of flexibility?

Accepted Answer

Adult stem cells are more specialized and have less flexibility compared to embryonic stem cells, which can differentiate into nearly any cell type. A zygote, being the earliest stage of development, has the highest degree of flexibility as it can develop into an entire organism.

Question 15

Explain how a totipotent stem cell line would be developed.

Accepted Answer

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Question 16

Which one of the following correctly describes the order of stem cells from the lowest degree of flexibility to the highest degree of flexibility?

Accepted Answer

Stem cells can be classified based on their degree of flexibility or potential to differentiate into different cell types. Unipotent stem cells can only differentiate into one specific cell type, while multipotent stem cells can differentiate into a limited number of related cell types. Pluripotent stem cells have the potential to differentiate into all cell types within a particular germ layer, and totipotent stem cells have the potential to differentiate into any cell type, including those required for embryonic development. Therefore, the correct order from the lowest degree of flexibility to the highest degree of flexibility is unipotent < multipotent < pluripotent < totipotent, which is described in choice A.

Question 17

Which of the following creates pluripotent stem cells without the need to destroy an embryo?

Accepted Answer

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are created by reprogramming adult cells back into an embryonic-like pluripotent state, which allows them to develop into almost any type of cell in the body without the need to use or destroy embryos.

Quiz 28: Stem Cellsa Repair Kit for the Body