stem cells

Created by

Aimee Ferguson

Cards (29)

Why bother with stem cells?
Test drugs
Understand disease
The future
What is a stem cell?
A cell that has not yet become a specialised cell
What are the 2 types of stem cells?
Embryo and adult
Why do we need stem cells?
Growth and repair
What is special about a red blood cell?
It carries oxygen around the body
What shape does a red blood cell have?
Biconcave shape which increases surface area so it can carry more oxygen
What does a red blood cell not have?
A nucleus so it can carry more oxygen
What is special about egg cells?
Contains a food store which provides energy for growth
What is special about sperm cells?
They have a tail and many mitochondria to swim to the egg cell
Where are egg cells produced?
Ovaries
Where are sperm cells produced? 
In the testes
What is the feature of stem cells that allow them to differentiate into specialised cells?
They are unspecialised
What is a advantage of stem cells?
Can discover new treatments for illnesses
What is a disadvantage of stem cells?
Uses embryonic stem cells (destroying potential life)
A cell that has not yet become a specialised cell is called a stem cell
what is the function of a root hair cell?
absorbs water by osmosis
what is the structure of a root hair cell?
increased surface area
what does having a increased surface area help a root hair cell do?
increases water absorption by osmosis
what is the function of lymphocytes?
release antibodies
what do antibodies do?
attach to antigen and destroy it
antibodies are specific and made of protein
what shape are antibodies?
y shaped
what do phagocytes do?
engulf and digest pathogens with powerful digestive enzymes
what do phagocytes carry out?
phagocytosis
are phagocytes non-specific or specific?
non-specific
white blood cells are part of the immune system and are involved in destroying pathogens.
pathogens are viruses and bacteria.
pathogens have a protein on the surface called an anti-gen
each antibody is specific to a particular pathogen