Question

Define the process of differentiation.

Answer 1

Hint: Differentiation is a vital process that involves cell specialization. The body is made of thousands of different cells. Each cell is specific to perform a different function. It is known that life starts from a single cell that divides continuously. Each divided cell gets specialized and then makes its copies to form the whole body.

Complete step by step answer: Division and differentiation are the characteristic properties of stem cells. The stem cells are the mother cells from which all other body’s cell types originate.
-When a zygote is formed after fertilization it divides for a few days and then starts specializing. This process of cell specialization is called differentiation. The differentiated cells mean those that are specialized to perform a particular function.
-The stem cells or mother cells from which they originate are non-specialized means that they have no specific function. Differentiation is an important process that is essential for the maintenance of life and can be observed in all the stages of life.
-In larvae during morphogenesis, in the formation of different plant parts, in the repair process in injured tissues, in the renewal of lost parts in lizards and other regenerative organisms.

Now let us understand how differentiation happens in the cells of the embryo.
-Gene expression is said to be a key factor in controlling the fate of cells. By saying the fate of cells we mean that what the cell is committed to become and to perform.
-In our body, we have neuron cells, blood cells, skin cells, and many more. Each cell has a nucleus containing DNA. The genetic or sequence of DNA is the same in each cell of the same individual. But in some cells, some particular genes are working and others stay silent or non-working.
-This expression of gene working and non-working in a particular cell is called gene expression. During the development of the embryo, the zygote first divides into multiple cells, these cells have the same DNA but after a few days the genes in some cells get turned off or on. This decides whether the cell becomes a blood cell or neuron cell.
-Other factors that decide the differentiation potential for a cell is the niche of the cell. Niche is the surrounding environment of the cell. The transcription and translation processes result in the formation of various enzymes and hormones that surround the cell. These chemicals direct the cell towards specialization.
-So, differentiation makes us what we are today with thousands of cells performing their unique functions.

Note: Differentiation is also affected by the physical environmental factors. During the division of the zygote, there may be some errors in differentiation causing different physical abnormalities. Thus it is a critical process that should be error-free.