Are stem cells in any way representative of the eukaryote ancestral to metazoa? - by Vivian
SubJeff on 29/11/2007 at 22:22
I suppose all cell types across species barriers are closest when at the stem cell stage. After all they are simple cells that have yet specialised (or even super-specialised in the case of muscle and nerve cells amongst others).
I'd hazard a guess that under the microscope with basic staining techniques (i.e . no protein specific immunohistochemistry or the like) it would be pretty difficult to tell stem cells from different species apart. In that respect stem cells are the closest that eukaryotic cells ever come to existing as primal archetypes.
It's a moot point though as they are undoubtable highly distinguishable using the correct techinques and to ignore the fact that they are stem cells, and thus pluripotential cells, is to ignore one of the most wonderful and powerful abilities known to man.
Koki on 1/12/2007 at 18:56
what
zombe on 1/12/2007 at 22:39
Summary:
chemical gradient prodding
embryological development
phylogenetic history
metazoan stem cells
cell membranes and protoplasms
trilobite
similar across taxa
'typical' unicellular eukaryote
less-complex somatic cells
Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny
bananas
basic staining techniques
protein specific immunohistochemistry
eukaryotic cells
primal archetypes
pluripotential cells
...
sorry.
Peanuckle on 10/12/2007 at 21:15
Quote Posted by demagogue
Also I've been waiting for the next time to quote this: "Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny." (already said, though.)
This has been prove false.
demagogue on 10/12/2007 at 21:46
Looks like my days as an arm-chair scientist are numbered.
As I learned it, it's most useful as a heuristic, like with the onion method of thinking, it's the outer layer that's wrong if you took it literally, but it gets you peeling in a useful direction to get closer at what's right ... maybe even that is debatable, though.
