Introduction Cell differentiation is the process that leads generalized cells to change patterns of gene expression and move towards the phenotype of specialized cells. Terminal cell differentiation occurs when a cell reaches its final specialized characteristics, and is usually where the cell permanently ceases division (Alberts et al. 2008). Some cell lines can be used to study differentiation. For instance, the PC-12 cell line differentiates in response to nerve growth factor by extending neuritic outgrowths from the cell body (Das et al. 2004). Nerve growth factor (NGF), a neurotrophin that regulates cell differentiation, plays an important part in various pathways and signals (Sofroniew et al. 2001). For instance, NGF plays an …show more content…
PC-12 cells, however, do not produce epinephrine (Greene and Tischler 1976). PC-12 cells differentiate reversibly in response to nerve growth factor (NGF) by forming neuritic outgrowths (Greene and Tischler 1976). The following study uses a derivative of the PC-12 cell line, called PC-12 Adh,, that shows increased adherence to Corning CellBIND® flasks which makes it easier to measure neuritic outgrowths. PC-12 Adh produces the same hormones as PC-12, but has not been vigorously tested for differentiation in response to NGF (ATCC). Yin et al. tested PC-12 and PC-12 Adh in response to NGF and found that both lines differentiated similarly within 48 hours (2015). This study will help to determine if the PC-12 Adh cell line differentiates similarly to PC-12. This would be helpful to researchers who want to use PC-12 Adh for its adhesive qualities but are unsure of how it will compare to results from PC-12 studies. These types of studies are also helpful for medicinal research. Past studies on the PC-12 cell line has offered insight into the mechanisms of the action of neurotoxicants and altering neuronal differentiation via chemicals (Das et al. 2004). Work on these cell lines may also be useful for research in neuronal injuries (Yin et al. 2015). The following study tests varying concentrations of NGF on PC-12 Adh cells to compare the two cell lines, and to quantify the effect that different concentrations of NGF have on
Among various types of organ systems, the nervous system is one of the most important one in human body. It is responsible for producing, controlling and guiding our thoughts and responses to the world around us according to James W. Pennebaker (2012). During embryological development, the cells that form nervous system are incredibly specialised and work complexly than the cells that form skin or other body parts. Neurosecretory cells are one of the examples of specialised nervous system cells that produce neurosecretions. Neurosecretions are hormones which carry information from sensor cells to target cells and they can be released directly into the bloodstream
die. What is differentiation? Differentiation is when a cell stops dividing to perform a special function
Cell differentiation- All cells contain the same genes. Cell differentiation is the development of cells that become specialised for different functions. Cells that aren’t specialised can advance into specialised cells, this process is called cell differentiation and this can be seen in different organisms. Specialised cells can only be one certain gene and although genes for other specialists are present they are switched off.
Immortal HeLa cells have touched every person’s life and have created advancements in the medical field that no doctor could have ever foreseen, although the cells are known, many do not know Henrietta Lacks, the African American woman who the cells were taken from. In her novel, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot tells the story of Henrietta and how her cells have affected her family’s life, and the history of medicine. She tells Henrietta’s journey from the time of meeting her husband Day, to being diagnosed with cervical cancer. In 1951, Henrietta dies, leaving behind her five children and affecting countless others who knew and loved her. Skloot wants to release the story of the Lacks family, and with the help of Henrietta’s
Evidence 6: Stem cells contain (NGFs), natural growth factors. Stem cells also accelerate the human body’s natural healing process and response. This alleviates the patients from taking toxic pain killers and other medications. Warrant connecting evidence 6 to reason
In differentiation the cells differentiate forming the specialised structures and functions. They form neurons, blood cells, skin cells, muscle cells etc.
Many scientists hypothesize that protein dysfunction plays a role in the progressive damage and death of nerve cells. The nerve cells may be blocked from communication
Stem cell research is the future of medical and biological research and remedies, and it is fascinating to watch the progression of this new and important science as it unfolds. These cells were discovered in mouse embryos in the 1980s, and are remarkable because of their potential to grow into a variety of different kinds of cells within a body. Common in fetuses, and more rare in adult animals of all kinds, stem cells can be manipulated in useful ways to repair many tissues, dividing limitlessly for therapeutic purposes. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or to differentiate into more specialized tissue, such as nerve, pancreas, bone marrow, or unique blood components. Initially
The use of stem cells can advance drug development, knowledge of disease, patience specific disease treatment, and can bypass the limits of mouse-models for research. According to the National Institute of Health (1), stem cells are unique in the following ways: they can divide and renew themselves for long periods, they are unspecialized, and they can give rise to specialized cell types. The uniqueness of these stem cells allows for the testing of new drugs, cell-based therapies and the study of human development including cancer research. Human stem cell therapies have been used for the treatment of neurological disease in human clinical trials such as Parkinson’s disease (2), spinal cord injury (3,4) stroke (5), and
Once the nervous system infrastructure is established and connections are made, the body would want to keep them constant. If they were to constantly be changing then our bodies would have a difficult time communicating within itself. The other factor in favor of limited growth is the lack of physical space within the spinal cord. If nerve cells kept growing they would quickly run out of space and that would create all kinds of new problems.
There is strong evidence that administration of VEGF in contused subjects helps recovery of fine motor skills, reduction of lesion tissue loss, prevention of excessive cell death in neurons, and remyelination of oligodendrocytes8. The ability of VEGF to promote neural plasticity is a double edged sword, however. The same mechanisms are implicated in the induction of neuropathic pain following contusive injury9. Administration of VEGF also increases the permeability of the blood-spinal cord barrier following injury, increasing the influx of oxygenated blood to the injury site. While this may be beneficial to some extent, the simultaneous influx of immune cells attenuates the secondary injury
Scientists have discovered that interneurons are responsible for the majority of new brain growth. They hope that the discovery that neurons can grow in the adult brain will allow for advancements in neuroplasticity research, such as determining the conditions necessary for this growth to occur. Dr. Nedivi, one of the scientists on the project, stated, “If we can identify what aspect of this location allows growth in an otherwise stable brain, we can perhaps use it to coax growth in cells and regions that are normally unable to repair or adjust to a changing
I. Introduction. In order to explain the cellular and molecular features of my focus questions I will need to introduce and provide background for three key concepts: Schwann cells, Macrophages, and general information on Wallerian degeneration and regeneration.
Scientists are interested in stem cells for their ability to become any type of cell in the body, a process called differentiation. Theoretically, this allows for limitless possibilities in disease
Researchers used BrdU pulsing to identify the target cells they wanted to monitor for possible growth and change. In order to evaluate the effects of aspirin on oligodendroglia in vitro, multiple aspects were studied. Cultures of neural stem cells and OPC’s were taken, incubated, stained, and treated with varying doses of aspirin. Cells are analyzed under the electron microscope to see the effects aspirin may have on oligodendrocyte lineage and development, as well as OPC proliferation and differentiation. Specific stains are used as markers for the cells being targeted as well as the processes they may be undergoing, such as proliferation.