stem cells

• totipotent stem cells can differentiate into any type of specialised cells and in animals into extra-embryonic tissue
• examples of totipotent cells are meristem tissues and only in early embryos
• pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into any cells but not into extra-embryonic tissues
• pluripotent cells are found in older embryos
• multipotent cells can only differentiate into certain types of cells of a particular lineage
• examples of multipotent cells (bone marrow) red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets
• unipotent cells can only differentiate into one type of cell
• examples of unipotent cells are germinate cells, epithelial cells into skins cells and cardiac cells into cardiomyocytes