Types of Stem Cells

Stem cells are unspecialized cells that divide within the body and develop into different kinds of cells. These stem cells have the potential to become specialized cells in the body with specific functions. Therefore, they are known as unspecialized cells as they differentiate into liver cells, muscle cells, blood cells, etc. Another interesting stem cell fact also includes that these cells are also known as 'undifferentiated cells'. This is because they have not completed a specific developmental path to form a specific organ or tissue. In the following paragraph, you shall be introduced to the different types of stem cells found within the body.

What are the Three Types of Stem Cells

The different types of stem cells are divided or categorized according to their 'potency'. This term 'potency' is used to describe the number of types of cells a cell can develop or differentiate into. There are basically three types of stem cells. Let us see the three types in the following paragraphs.

Totipotent
The totipotent cells are one of the three types of stem cells. The term 'toti' means 'whole or 'total' in Latin and 'potent' means 'potential'. These stem cells are those cells that have not begun the process of differentiation. These cells have the capability to differentiate into any type of cell within the body.

Pluripotent
The pluripotent cells are those stem cells that are almost as potent as totipotent cells. However, these cells have barely started the differentiation process and are capable of developing into any other type of body cell.

Multipotent
Multipotent stem cells are those cells that have begun the process of differentiation into general cell type. They can develop into certain type of cells in a particular group or family of cells.

There are two more stem cell types called oligopotent as well as unipotent that has limited functions. The oligopotent stem cells can differentiate into lymphoid or myeloid stem cells. The unipotent stem cells produce only one cell type that is their own. This means a muscle stem cell will differentiate only into a muscle cell and no other cell type. However, they have the property of self-renewal making them different from non-stem cells.

Different Types of Stem Cells

There are different sources within the body that are used in harvesting different types of stem cells. The three types of stem cells mentioned above are located in different locations of the body. Their function differs from each other. Totipotent cells can develop into any kind of cells and pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into over 200 different cell types of the body. The multipotent cells can form fetal tissue, cord blood and adult stem cells. The following is a list of different types of stem cell sources that give rise to the different stem cells.

Embryonic Stem Cells
The embryonic stem cells are those cells that form a group of cells called embryo. They are the first step in development of life when a fertilized egg or zygote divides to form an embryo. These newly fertilized embryo cells after the first few cell divisions contain totipotent stem cells. These cells have the ability to form any kind of cell structure and after going to gastrulation, they develop into pluripotent cells.

Fetal Stem Cells
After8th week of development, the embryo turns into a fetus. This fetus now develops kind of human form from blastocyst embryonic stem cells. These fetal stem cells divide and form the tissues before it is ready for birth. These fetal stem cells are pluripotent in nature like the embryonic stem cells.

Umbilical Cord Stem Cells
The umbilical cord is thread of life between the mother and the fetus. It helps in transportation of oxygen as well as nutrients from the placental to the fetus. Once the baby is born, the umbilical cord is cut off from the infant. What remains is the bellybutton on the abdomen of the bay. The umbilical stem cells are present in the blood of the umbilical cord. These stem cells are genetically identical to the baby and are multipotent in nature. These cells are used in umbilical cord blood stem cell storage. These multipotent stem cells can differentiate into limited number of cell types present in the body.

Placenta Derived Stem Cells
The placenta contains 10 times as many stem cells that can be harvested through the cord blood. These are multipotent stem cells that divide into certain cell types

Adult Stem Cell
The adult stem cells as mentioned in the name are not exclusively found in the adult body. They are also present in infants and children. These adult stem cells are present in the developed tissues of the body. These cells function throughout the life of the individual, carrying out the repair and maintenance of the organs present. These cells are obviously multipotent as they can divide into the specific type of cells based in their location.

This was all about the different stem cell types. Stem cells have a huge potential in the world of genetic engineering and embryonic stem cell research. These cells can be harvested and developed into different cells helping cure various diseases like blood cancer. They can be used to cure diseases such as Parkinson's disease where the brain cells are destroyed or cure multiple sclerosis and even make a blind individual see by repairing the damage to cornea. The possibilities are endless and researchers are trying day and night to come up with stem cell uses to help cure different disorders. These different types of stem cells have an answer hidden within them and all one needs is a code that will help break and unleash their potential for benefit of mankind.