STEMQuest Page 14 Answers:
Question 1: What two main abilities do stem cells have?
Answer: Stem cells can self-renew and differentiate. (see page 1 in book)
Explanation:
One characteristic of stem cells is the ability of a stem cell to make many exact copies of itself, over and over. This is called self-renewal. When a group of stem cells self-renew, they create a larger, growing population. The second characteristic of stem cells is the ability of a stem cell to turn into a specific type of cell in the body. The process of transitioning from a stem cell to a specialized cell, like a muscle cell, skin cell, bone cell, or fat cell is called differentiation. Stem cells are the only type of normal (noncancerous) cells that exhibit these two characteristics, which makes them unique and important. It also allows them to play a major role in repairing our bodies and helping us stay healthy.
Question 2: Where can stem cells be found in our bodies?
Answer: Stem cells can be found in almost every organ in our bodies. (see page 4 in book)
Explanation:
All of the cells that make up our bodies right now, started as just a few stem cells before we were born. Those few stem cells that we started with were able to self-renew and differentiate to become all the different types of cells that make up the tissues and organs we now have. While our organs and tissues developed, small populations of stem cells remained in most of our organs to help them repair and maintain the tissues we have and help them function. Some of our organs that contain stem cells include our brain, heart, skeletal muscles, fat, bones/bone marrow, skin, liver, intestines or gut, lungs, and kidneys.
Question 3: How can stem cells help us heal?
Answer: Stem cells can repair our damaged tissues by forming new layers of tissue and working with our immune system to speed up healing and fight infection. (see page 7 in book)
Explanation:
When a specific area of our body is damaged, for example if you have a cut on your finger, the stem cells in our skin become active and travel to the site of the injury. There, stem cells can release special signaling molecules that attract and communicate with our immune system. By informing our immune cells and helping to bring them to the site of injury, our stem cells help to speed up healing and fight infection. The stem cells in the surrounding tissue can also begin to self-renew and differentiate. When they become active in this way, they add new layers of healthy skin that replace the layers that were damaged by the injury. Stem cells located in other organs and tissues work to heal, repair, and maintain different areas of our bodies in a similar way.
Question 4: What are scientists hoping to learn and do with stem cells?
Answer: Scientists are trying to understand how to take adult stem cells out of our bodies and use them to create new tissues and organs. (see page 10 in book)
Explanation:
Scientists are trying to understand stem cells. This means that they are conducting research to understand how and why stem cells self-renew and differentiate. The self-renewal and differentiation characteristics that stem cells have make them vital to our health, as they naturally repair and maintain the tissues in our bodies. Scientists believe that if they can understand why stem cells have these unique characteristics and what controls them, then they can be used to grow functional tissues and whole organs that can repair or replace damaged ones, helping to treat major injury and disease. Scientists must first explain exactly how stem cells work inside and outside of our bodies. To do this, they are mapping out important ways stem cells operate. They are
• Investigating how the genetic code (DNA) of stem cells is read to provide stem
cells with instructions on how to function,
• researching the ability of stem cells to send and receive signals to communicate with surrounding cells,
• Studying how stem cells transition from a self-renewing state to a differentiated or specialized cell, and
• Working to understand how stem cells react to specially engineered materials that allow them to grow and transition into specialized cells to generate layers of healthy tissue.
By creating a road map of how stem cells function, scientists can identify methods that allow us to take the adult stem cells in our bodies and use them to grow healthy tissues, generate whole organs, treat major diseases, and provide various cell-based therapies in the field of regenerative medicine.
Question 1: What two main abilities do stem cells have?
Answer: Stem cells can self-renew and differentiate. (see page 1 in book)
Explanation:
One characteristic of stem cells is the ability of a stem cell to make many exact copies of itself, over and over. This is called self-renewal. When a group of stem cells self-renew, they create a larger, growing population. The second characteristic of stem cells is the ability of a stem cell to turn into a specific type of cell in the body. The process of transitioning from a stem cell to a specialized cell, like a muscle cell, skin cell, bone cell, or fat cell is called differentiation. Stem cells are the only type of normal (noncancerous) cells that exhibit these two characteristics, which makes them unique and important. It also allows them to play a major role in repairing our bodies and helping us stay healthy.
Question 2: Where can stem cells be found in our bodies?
Answer: Stem cells can be found in almost every organ in our bodies. (see page 4 in book)
Explanation:
All of the cells that make up our bodies right now, started as just a few stem cells before we were born. Those few stem cells that we started with were able to self-renew and differentiate to become all the different types of cells that make up the tissues and organs we now have. While our organs and tissues developed, small populations of stem cells remained in most of our organs to help them repair and maintain the tissues we have and help them function. Some of our organs that contain stem cells include our brain, heart, skeletal muscles, fat, bones/bone marrow, skin, liver, intestines or gut, lungs, and kidneys.
Question 3: How can stem cells help us heal?
Answer: Stem cells can repair our damaged tissues by forming new layers of tissue and working with our immune system to speed up healing and fight infection. (see page 7 in book)
Explanation:
When a specific area of our body is damaged, for example if you have a cut on your finger, the stem cells in our skin become active and travel to the site of the injury. There, stem cells can release special signaling molecules that attract and communicate with our immune system. By informing our immune cells and helping to bring them to the site of injury, our stem cells help to speed up healing and fight infection. The stem cells in the surrounding tissue can also begin to self-renew and differentiate. When they become active in this way, they add new layers of healthy skin that replace the layers that were damaged by the injury. Stem cells located in other organs and tissues work to heal, repair, and maintain different areas of our bodies in a similar way.
Question 4: What are scientists hoping to learn and do with stem cells?
Answer: Scientists are trying to understand how to take adult stem cells out of our bodies and use them to create new tissues and organs. (see page 10 in book)
Explanation:
Scientists are trying to understand stem cells. This means that they are conducting research to understand how and why stem cells self-renew and differentiate. The self-renewal and differentiation characteristics that stem cells have make them vital to our health, as they naturally repair and maintain the tissues in our bodies. Scientists believe that if they can understand why stem cells have these unique characteristics and what controls them, then they can be used to grow functional tissues and whole organs that can repair or replace damaged ones, helping to treat major injury and disease. Scientists must first explain exactly how stem cells work inside and outside of our bodies. To do this, they are mapping out important ways stem cells operate. They are
• Investigating how the genetic code (DNA) of stem cells is read to provide stem
cells with instructions on how to function,
• researching the ability of stem cells to send and receive signals to communicate with surrounding cells,
• Studying how stem cells transition from a self-renewing state to a differentiated or specialized cell, and
• Working to understand how stem cells react to specially engineered materials that allow them to grow and transition into specialized cells to generate layers of healthy tissue.
By creating a road map of how stem cells function, scientists can identify methods that allow us to take the adult stem cells in our bodies and use them to grow healthy tissues, generate whole organs, treat major diseases, and provide various cell-based therapies in the field of regenerative medicine.