Question

1. what do you think would have the greatest effect on the body—a harmful mutation in a pluripotent embryonic stem cell, or a harmful mutation in an adult multipotent stem cell? explain your answer. type your answer here.

Explanation:

Pluripotent embryonic stem cells can differentiate into any cell type in the body, so a harmful mutation here would affect many cell lineages and tissues as the embryo develops. Adult multipotent stem cells have a more restricted differentiation potential (e.g., hematopoietic stem cells make blood cells), so their mutation impacts a narrower range of cell types. Thus, a harmful mutation in a pluripotent embryonic stem cell has a greater effect.

Answer:

A harmful mutation in a pluripotent embryonic stem cell would have the greatest effect on the body. Pluripotent embryonic stem cells can differentiate into any cell type in the body (they have the broadest differentiation potential), so a harmful mutation in such a cell would be passed on to a large number of cell lineages and tissues as the embryo develops, potentially disrupting multiple organ systems. In contrast, adult multipotent stem cells have a more restricted differentiation potential (they can only differentiate into a limited set of related cell types, e.g., a multipotent stem cell in the bone marrow makes different blood cell types), so a harmful mutation in an adult multipotent stem cell would impact a narrower range of cell types and tissues.