Stem cells are rapidly differentiating cells that can differentiate into different types of cells (Sadava, Heller, Orians, Purves and Hillis 408). Stem cells are normally found in multi-cellular organisms (Banzhaf and Yamamoto 102). The stem cell is located in the different tissues of a fully developed adult organism. Examples of these tissues include the skin tissue, inner lining of the intestines and the bone marrow (Sadava, Heller, Orians, Purves and Hillis 408). These tissues usually require frequent cell replacement. The stem cells are also found in the meristem of plants. The function of the stem cell is to replace cells in areas of the body that require frequent replacing of cells after they are exhausted.
Homeostasis is critical in the maintenance and preservation of organ and tissue integrity (Appasani and Appasani 45). As such, stem cells are essential in maintaining the homeostatic balance by ensuring self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation (Appasani and Appasani 45). Consequently, this process results to stem cells developing and supplying fresh new cells throughout the life of the organism (Appasani and Appasani 45).
Some of the characteristics of stem cells include self-renewal ability, developmental multi-potentiality and extensive proliferative potential (Sell 158). The cell membrane of the stem cell is different from other non-stem cells, which allow the stem cell to respond differently to the same environment as the non-stem cells (Knoepfler 111). For instance, the stem cell has an abundance of the growth factor FGF (Knoepfler 111). The nucleus of the stem has certain unique features that can be used to distinguish stem cells from other non-stem cells. For instance, the stem cell chromatin is arranged in such a way that some of the parts of the DNA are converted to RNA and translated into protein in a way that is not possible in non-Stem cells (Knoepfler 113).
Works Cited
Appasani, Krishnarao, and Raghu K. Appasani. Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine: From Molecular Embryology to Tissue Engineering. New York: Humana Press, 2011. Print.
Banzhaf, Wolfgang, and Lidia Yamamoto. Artificial Chemistries. , 2015. Print.
Knoepfler, Paul. Stem Cells: An Insider's Guide. London: World Scientific, 2013. Print.
Sadava, David E., Craig Heller, Gordon H. Orians, William K. Purves, and David M. Hillis. E-Book for Life: The Science of Biology. 10th ed. Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Print.
Sell, Stewart. Stem Cells Handbook. Totowa, N.J: Humana Press, 2004. Print.
