• Question: How do they know that they need to make different stem cells?

    Asked by katrina1998 to Anzy on 18 Nov 2013.
    • Photo: Anzy Miller

      Anzy Miller answered on 18 Nov 2013:

      Hi Katrina1998,

      Stem cells generally don’t make different types of stem cells, but cells that go and do a job. For example, skin stem cells are the cells that make the skin cells that protect you from the environment.
      But its a great question to ask how these skin stem cells know they need to make skin. And for me, as I’m working with embryonic stem cells (which are the cells in the embryo after the egg has been fertilised) – how do these cells know they need to make different types of cells?

      What we do know is there are different signals that the cells see and these signals are generally telling the cells they should become something. And these signals might only be in a certain place so only the cells in that place will see that signal.

      The amazing thing is that a person is always made from the fertilised egg. So the process of making the right cells, at the right time, in the right place, has to be strictly controlled so nothing ever goes wrong.

      Its cool to think about, isn’t it 🙂

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