Cellular differentiation

Cellular differentiation is the process by which a cell acquires the structures and functions of a specialized cell type, usually through changes in gene expression.

Gene regulatory network: A system of interacting genes and regulatory molecules that controls patterns of gene expression. Regulatory networks stabilize the programs that distinguish one cell type from another.
Cell potency: The range of cell types a cell can produce through division and differentiation. Potency describes the developmental options available before a cell commits to a specialized fate.
Embryonic development: The sequence of growth and organization through which an embryo forms tissues and organs. Differentiation generates the diverse cell types needed to build an embryo’s tissues.
Dedifferentiation: The loss of specialized features by a mature cell, often with a return to a less specialized state. It moves away from the specialized state produced by differentiation.
Transcription factor: A protein that binds specific DNA sequences and regulates transcription. Transcription factors activate or repress genes that define a cell’s specialized identity.
Stem cell: An undifferentiated cell capable of self-renewal and producing one or more specialized cell types. Stem cells supply cells that can enter differentiation while maintaining a renewing population.
Induced pluripotent stem cell: A mature cell experimentally reprogrammed to a pluripotent state resembling an embryonic stem cell. These cells can be differentiated into selected types for disease models and potential therapies.
Transdifferentiation: The direct conversion of one mature cell type into another without first becoming pluripotent. It changes identity between specialized types rather than differentiating from an unspecialized starting state.
Epigenetics: Heritable changes in gene activity that occur without changing the DNA sequence. Epigenetic marks help preserve differentiated gene-expression patterns through cell division.
Cell fate determination: The developmental process by which a cell becomes committed to a particular identity. Fate determination precedes or accompanies the changes that make specialization observable.

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