Understanding Stem Cells (Part 2)
Pluripotent stem cells originate from totipotent cells and become part of the germ layer (tissues).
Multipotent stem cells produce different cell types belonging to the same “family”, like blood cells – hematopoietic stem cells differentiate to red and white blood cells and other blood-related cells.
Unipotent cells develop into only one cell type, and has the ability for self-renewal which make it unique from other non-stem cells. It is also known as progenitor cells
The bone marrow is composed of only 3% to 5% stem cells, but these are the only cells capable of producing the blood cells, and it produces enormous amounts of blood cells everyday – 2.5 billion erythrocytes, 2.5 billion platelets and 1 billion granulocytes per kilogram of body weight.
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