Progenitor cell
Progenitor Cell
Progenitor cells (pronunciation: pro-jen-i-tor cells) are biological cells that, like stem cells, have a tendency to differentiate into a specific type of cell, but are already more specific than stem cells and are pushed to differentiate into their "target" cell. The most important difference between stem cells and progenitor cells is that stem cells can replicate indefinitely, whereas progenitor cells can divide only a limited number of times.
Etymology
The term "progenitor" is derived from the Latin word 'progenitor' which means 'begetter'. It is used to denote a biological cell that has a tendency to differentiate into a specific type of cell.
Related Terms
- Stem Cell: A cell with the unique ability to develop into specialised cell types in the body.
- Cell Differentiation: The process by which a less specialized cell becomes a more specialized cell type.
- Multipotent Cells: Cells that have the capacity to self-renew by dividing and to develop into multiple specialised cell types present in a specific tissue or organ.
- Unipotent Cells: Cells that have the capacity to self-renew and give rise to a single differentiated cell type.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Progenitor cell
- Wikipedia's article - Progenitor cell
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