A stem cell is a cell yet to be specialized.
Stem cells can undergo cellular differentiation and use cell proliferation to produce more stem cells.
Self renewal means a stem cell can produce both a differentiated cell and a copy of itself.
Potency measures the stem cell’s capacity to differentiate into different cell types
- totipotent - can differentiate into any type
- pluripotent - can differentiate into multiple cell types
- multipotent - can differentiate into a limited number of specialized cell types belonging to a specific tissue or organ
- unipotent - can only produce only one cell type but have the property of self-renewal that distinguishes them from non-stem cells