Totipotence (Noun)
Meaning
The ability of a cell to give rise to unlike cells and so to develop a new organism or part; "animal cells lose their totipotency at an early stage in embryonic development".
Classification
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects.
Examples
- The zygote exhibits totipotence, capable of forming every cell type found in the adult organism.
- In plants, totipotency is often maintained in all cells and tissues, allowing for regeneration of entire plants from individual cells.
- The capacity of animal cells to exhibit totipotency is largely lost during the early stages of embryonic development.
- Totipotency is evident in the fertilized egg cell of many organisms, as it contains the potential for development into any cell type.
- The ability of certain stem cells to revert to a state of totipotence would revolutionize the field of regenerative medicine.