Q. Im in doubt regarding myelodysplasia is it multipotent or pluripotent?
A. Thats a great question because it lets us talk about hematopathology (yay!) and also stem cells (which can be confusing unless someone explains some simple stuff).
What is a stem cell? First, lets talk about stem cells. The thing that makes a stem cell a stem cell, at least in my mind, is the ability to self-renew. This means that the stem cell can either divide into two daughter cells which will mature into grown up cells, or (and more commonly) it can give rise to two cells: one that will become a mature cell, and another which retains the capacity to divide again. Its called asymmetric division: instead of giving rise to two of the same cells, you get one regular cell and another stem cell (which can continue this cycle of replication for a long long time).
(Virtually) limitless replication Most cells have a limited number of times that they can divide. This is because the telomeres (little protective DNA sequences) on the end of the chromosomes get a little shorter every time the DNA replicates and eventually they are so short that they cant protect the DNA and the cell is unable to divide. Stem cells and cancer cells have an enzyme called telomerase that replenishes the telomeres, keeping them nice and long so the cell can keep on dividing. Stem cells do eventually die so technically, there are a limited number of cell divisionsbut its a really, really big number. Cancer cells, on the other hand, are often totally immortal they can just keep on dividing and dividing.
Totipotent Another cool thing about stem cells is that they can give rise to many different kinds of cells. Heres where things can get murky. There are stem cells in an embryo which are able to give rise to any of the cell types in the body: hepatocytes, epithelial cells, neurons, cardiac muscle cellseverything. This makes sense: if youre going to grow into a human, you have to have cells that give rise to all the necessary cell types. These stem cells are called totipotent or pluripotent stem cells. Theres a slight difference between the two words: totipotent means that the stem cell can give rise to any and all human tissue cells and it can even give rise to an entire functional human. The only totipotent cells in human development are the fertilized egg and the cells in the next few cell divisions.
Pluripotent After those few cell divisions, the cells become pluripotent. Pluripotent cells are similar to totipotent cells in that they can give rise to any and all human tissue cells. Theyre different, though, because they are not capable of giving rise to an entire organism. On day four of development, the tiny little embryo forms two layers: one that will become the placenta and the other that will become the baby. The cells that will become the baby can give rise to any human tissue type (obviously) but those cells alone cant give rise to the entire organism (because you cant form the baby without the placenta). Slight difference but enough to make a separate term.
Multipotent Another term you should know is multipotent. Multipotent stem cells cannot give rise to any old cell in the body they are restricted to a limited range of cell types. For example, there are multipotent stem cells in the bone marrow that can give rise to red cells, white cells and platelets. They cant give rise to hepatocytes, or any other cell type, though so they are not totipotent or pluripotent.
There are lots of multipotent stem cells in the adult human body. They reside in the bone marrow, skin, muscle, GI tract, endothelium, and mesenchymal tissues. This means that there is a nice source for replacing cells that have died or been sloughed away.
What about myelodsyplasia? So back to your question. Myelodysplasia is a hematopoietic disorder in which cells in the bone marrow grow funny (dysplasia) they might be binucleate, or not have the normal number of granules, or whatever. In addition, some cases have an increase in blasts in the bone marrow but not over 20%, or youd call it an acute leukemia. Some cases transform, eventually, into an acute myeloid leukemia; others just stay the way they are and dont become nasty.
Check out the image above, from a case of myelodysplasia. There is a bizarre, multinucleated erythroblast at 11 oclock (this is called dyserythropoiesis, or disordered red cell growth). There are also two messed-up neutrophils (dysgranulopoiesis) at 4 oclock and 10 oclock the one at 4 oclock has only two nuclear lobes, and both are hypogranular (not enough specific granulation). Theres also an increase in blasts, if this field is representative: theres one in the middle and (probably) one at 5 oclock.
This disorder (actually, its a group of disorders) involves stem cells in the bone marrow. Sometimes only one cell line is involved (red cells, say); other times all three cell lines are involved (red cells, white cells and platelets). Either way, the disorder involves a stem cell, and since the stem cells in the bone marrow are multipotent, it would be correct to say that myelodysplasia is a disorder of multipotent stem cells in the bone marrow. Its kind of redundant, though, because as far as we know, there arent any other kind of stem cells in the bone marrow! But at least you know the answer to your question now.
See more here:
Multipotent vs. pluripotent stem cells - Pathology Student
- Stem cell treatment after spinal cord injury: The next steps - Mayo Clinic - December 18th, 2022
- A CRISPR Alternative for Correcting Mutations That Sensitize Cells to DNA Damage - The Scientist - October 13th, 2022
- The Switch to Regenerative Medicine - Dermatology Times - October 13th, 2022
- A history of blood cancer treatment - - pharmaphorum - September 16th, 2022
- What Are Zombie Cells? Here's How They Impact Aging - Prevention Magazine - September 8th, 2022
- ThreeSixty Journalism: Be The Match works to build equity in access to bone marrow and cord blood transplants - St. Paul Pioneer Press - September 8th, 2022
- Zhang and colleagues win an $11.2 million NIH program project grant (PPG) - News - University of Alabama at Birmingham - August 22nd, 2022
- Kyle Vining: Appointment to Faculty of Penn Dental Medicine and Penn School of Engineering and Applied Science - University of Pennsylvania - August 22nd, 2022
- Gamida Cell Announces Dosing of First Patient in Company-Sponsored Phase 1/2 Study of NK Cell Therapy Candidate GDA-201 - Business Wire - August 14th, 2022
- Engineers develop new tool that will allow for more personalized cell therapies - UMN News - July 27th, 2022
- University of Minnesota scientist responds to fraud allegations in Alzheimer's research - Star Tribune - July 27th, 2022
- Accelerating Transformational Research into Cell Transplantation for Patients with Type 1 Diabetes - UCSF - July 27th, 2022
- TC BioPharm Announces Formation of Scientific Advisory Board with Renowned Cell Therapy Experts - GuruFocus.com - July 11th, 2022
- Witt Wolfpack: Family works out fundraising and awareness after La Jollan's ALS diagnosis - La Jolla Light - July 11th, 2022
- Pluripotent stem cellderived NK cells with high-affinity noncleavable ... - July 3rd, 2022
- Life-saving lecture: Auburn student uses lessons from class to help discover father's brain tumor - Office of Communications and Marketing - June 22nd, 2022
- Bluebird's future in balance as FDA weighs gene therapy approvals - BioPharma Dive - June 13th, 2022
- Be the Match is looking for more ethnically diverse donors to help patients with blood cancers and diseases - KARE11.com - June 4th, 2022
- Minnesota woman reunites with teenager she saved through Be The Match transplant - KSTP - April 19th, 2022
- Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Their Potential for ... - November 22nd, 2021
- Cells or drugs? The race to regenerate the heart - Scientific American - November 8th, 2021
- Four-year-old with rare disease finally gets historic gene therapy treatment - KARE11.com - October 5th, 2021
- Caribou Biosciences Appoints Biotechnology Industry Veteran Ran Zheng to its Board of Directors - Stockhouse - October 5th, 2021
- EDITORIAL: The need is vast. Consider becoming an organ donor. - Yahoo News - August 18th, 2021
- Our View: The need is vast. Consider becoming an organ donor. - PostBulletin.com - August 18th, 2021
- Negrin Shines Light on the Orca-T Story in GVHD - OncLive - December 11th, 2020
- COVID-19 and the trials of treatment | News, Sports, Jobs - Escanaba Daily Press - October 16th, 2020
- NMDP/Be The Match partners with M Health Fairview and Duke University cryopreservation labs to launch Be The Match BioBank - Watauga Democrat - October 7th, 2020
- Berks County's first STEM-themed attraction opens, delights visitors young and old - Reading Eagle - October 7th, 2020
- Coronavirus Thursday update: UMN announces new stem cell ... - August 16th, 2020
- University of Minnesota launches stem cell trial against ... - August 16th, 2020
- University of Minnesota launches stem cell trial against severe COVID-19 - Minneapolis Star Tribune - August 16th, 2020
- Biotechnology Could Change the Cattle Industry. Will It Succeed? - Singularity Hub - August 16th, 2020
- Fate Therapeutics Announces First Patient Treated in First-in-human Clinical Trial of FT596 and Provides Corporate Update - Yahoo Finance - April 4th, 2020
- A word for those risking their lives amid the coronavirus crisis: Thanks - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press - April 4th, 2020
- Coronavirus is similar to SARS and causes infection through a heart regulating enzyme: Study - International Business Times, Singapore Edition - February 4th, 2020
- Why Sangamo Therapeutics Stock Sank Today - The Motley Fool - December 13th, 2019
- Hoeven's bill supports alternative therapy for veterans with PTSD, traumatic brain injury - Ripon Advance - October 1st, 2019
- Stem-cell treatment gives two brothers a future ... - March 3rd, 2019
- The Promise of Stem Cells | Stem Cell Institute ... - August 29th, 2018
- 2018 Regenerative Medicine Minnesota Research Awards - August 17th, 2018
- FDA cracks down on stem cell clinics - CNN - August 29th, 2017
- Mayo Clinic, University of Minnesota develop 'robocop' stem cells to fight cancer - Minneapolis Star Tribune - August 24th, 2017
- Cowboy Up Ride Against Cancer - Wahpeton Daily News - August 24th, 2017
- Cargill invests in 'clean meat' start-up - KARE - August 24th, 2017
- Stem-cell clinics are using a federal website as a marketing tool for unproven treatments, U of M bioethicist says - MinnPost - July 30th, 2017
- More than 60 US clinics have sold unproven stem cell therapies for heart failure - New York Post - July 30th, 2017
- Stemonix, a stem cell research firm, wins Minnesota Cup ... - November 27th, 2016
- Minnesotas Funding of Stem Cell Research Echoes Trend ... - October 29th, 2016
- Stem cell research Experts@Minnesota - October 18th, 2016
- Stem Cell FAQs - Minnesota Regenerative Medicine - October 7th, 2016
- Minnesota invests in regenerative medicine - Health Talk - October 7th, 2016
- Minnesota to resume umbilical cord blood donations ... - September 20th, 2016
- STEM Programs - Minnesota Zoo - September 5th, 2016
- Stem Cell Treatment - Minnesota Regenerative Medicine - August 18th, 2016
- Home - Minnesota Regenerative Medicine - August 18th, 2016
- 2. Bone Marrow (Hematopoietic) Stem Cells [Stem Cell ... - October 19th, 2015
- Minnesota Man With ALS Hopes Stem Cells Save His Life ... - July 2nd, 2015
- Graduate Programs - MED - Stem Cell Institute, University ... - April 26th, 2015
- Atsushi Asakura, Ph.D. - MED - Stem Cell Institute ... - March 18th, 2015
- Bioelectricity Plays Key Role in Brain Development & Repair - March 13th, 2015
- Jakub Tolar, M.D., Ph.D. - MED - Stem Cell Institute ... - February 24th, 2015
- Stem Cell Web Focus - Nature Publishing Group : science ... - February 3rd, 2015
- Family: Experimental stem-cell treatment does wonders for Gordie Howe - December 20th, 2014
- Childrens hospital gets $25M - December 16th, 2014
- Stem Cell Malaysia Blog - December 12th, 2014
- Reduction of germ cells yields more zebrafish males - December 4th, 2014
- Cardio3 BioSciences Announces the Nomination of Three Co-Principal Investigators for Its CHART-2 Phase III Clinical ... - November 28th, 2014
- Mayo Clinic Researchers Identify First Steps in Formation of Pancreatic Cancer - November 10th, 2014
- Anti-Cancer Drug Effective Against Common Stem Cell Transplant Complication - October 24th, 2014
- $25M gift prompts University pediatric hospital name change - October 16th, 2014
- Becoming a blood stem cell or bone marrow donor ... - October 3rd, 2014
- New heart built with stem cells - YouTube - September 27th, 2014
- Cancer Survivor Saved by Measles Virus Raises Funds for Expanded Trial - September 12th, 2014
- Researchers find animal model for understudied type of muscular dystrophy - August 30th, 2014
- Minnesota Stem Cell Therapy | Stem Cell Treatments - August 29th, 2014
- Stem Cell FAQs - MED - Stem Cell Institute, University of ... - August 22nd, 2014
- Home - MED - Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota - August 22nd, 2014
- Stem cells | Health Sciences - University of Minnesota - August 22nd, 2014