Compare and Contrast between Adult Stem Cells and Embryonic Stem Cells - Essay Example

College Compare and contrast between adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells A stem cell is basically a biological type of cell found in organisms. The organisms possessing the stem cells are multi cellular and not unicellular. The multi cellular organisms include all the animals and especially the mammals and they are able to undergo the process of mitosis whereby they divide. Stem cells are found within the bodies of organisms and their location gives them their specific categories hence the two main types of stem cells. The role played by the stem cells in animals is the generally the mitosis process where cells divide while some undergo differentiation. This main function of the stem cells gives them the characteristic of being multi cellular and this is uniquely in the mammals and other few vertebrates. Stem cells thus are a crucial part of all the organisms in that they grow and develop with the functioning of these cells. Cells divide to bring about growth which includes increase in length and width of an organism. Stem cells have two main properties regarding their function and the physical nature. The first is on their ability to renew themselves for the development of the tissues in which they are ingrained in and after they undergo the self renewal they result into growth of the body. The second property involves potency where the stem cells function to differentiate and develop into new mature cells and this occurs after the death of the older cells. For the stem cells to differentiate they have to be either toti potent in that they can merge together and form a new organism or multi potent where they originate from the germ layers. The chief stem cells are the embryonic stem cells and the adult stem cells. These two cells are mainly found in the mammals and these cells give them the growth and development trait. Following their names, the embryonic and adult stem cells originate from both the embryos and the adult mammals respectively. Embryonic stem cells are found in the blastocyte in the inner mass of the cell and they ensure growth and development of the embryo into the several stages it goes through before it becomes a fetus hence are very crucial cells in an embryo. This is during the first five days of the growth of a fetus and these embryonic stem cells roughly range between fifty to two hundred cells On the other hand, the adult stem cells are found basically in most tissues of an already developed mammal or rather in the adult mammals. They are also found in already developed young ones like children in human beings and are referred to somatic stem cells. In young born, the adult stem cells are found in the blood flowing in the umbilical cord during birth but in the mature adults and young ones, the adult stem cells are located in the bone marrow. Adult stem cells greatly function in cell division and differentiation but they are low in amount at old age as compared to the young age. They are moreover fewer in females than in males that are of the same age. There are several similarities between the above mentioned types of stem cells in several aspects. The most familiar role played by both of these two stem cells is their ability to repair cells especially the injured ones and they also greatly assist in many treatments of the body. Both these cells replace any form of damaged cells and tissues and they carry out this function by differentiating in that they develop new cells to replace the old worn out cells. By doing this, new cells create new tissues hence providing efficient therapy to the wounded or destroyed cells and tissues. This occurs particularly during the healing of a wound which may result from a cut, burn or scratch. Therefore embryonic and adult stem cells function in replacement and development of injured tissues in the body. The stem cells are moreover similar in a way that they both differentiate to give rise to new cells. The embryonic stem cells, whilst in the first stages of the fetus development, they continuously divide so as to give rise to many new mature cells that enhance growth of the fetus in the womb. Likewise, the adult stem cells differentiate to bring about growth in living beings, both animals and human beings whereby they grow taller and wider. This is the reason the adult stem cells are referred to as somatic cells. Thus, both stem cells give rise to new cells and consequently causing growth and development for both the unborn and the adult organisms. The embryonic stem cells and the adult stem cells are vehemently involved in the synthesis of protein molecules in the body. The protein synthesis in the body undergoes a series of processes in order for one single molecule to be formed. The process involves the both RNA and DNA molecules and other biological molecules in the body. The stem cells contain necessary genes for the development of the protein structure and it through these genes that protein production in an organism is determined. The measure of the mass of protein molecule produced is further determined through the biology of stem cells and the genes they contain. The process of protein synthesis is boosted by the genes found in both the embryonic and adult stem cells through several ways. The main purpose of the genes contained in the stem cells is to manage the amount of RNA molecules produced to take part in transferring the DNA coded molecule to the protein structure. The genes in the stem cells ensure the RNA produced is enough for all the coded DNA molecules and excess RNA is not produced in the event of completion of the formation of one protein structure molecule. In light of this, the genes in the stem cells further check for the size, mass and amount of protein molecules produced in the body. The molecules must be in accordance to the size of the organism and the metabolic processes of that particular organism. Therefore, the gene amount in the stem cells is the measure of the amount of protein molecules that can be formed in an animal or in a human being hence the protein mass. In addition, the genes in the embryonic and adult stem cells assist in enlarging the size of the protein molecule especially when it is active in metabolic activities hence in use. The genes activate the RNA molecules to transfer the DNA codes respective to the protein molecule so as to add structure to it for metabolism. After metabolism stops, the genes in the stem cells stop the RNA molecules from transferring the coded DNA molecules to the protein structure. The other major similarity between the embryonic stem cell and the adult stem cell is the participation in the treatment of diseases and in improvement of handicaps. Both deafness and blindness can be improved by ensuring the stem cells are put in place and the condition for their functioning is efficient. For instance, the adult stem cells are in always injected or placed inside the particular tissues to improve situations. The adult stem cells moreover help in treating spinal cord damages in adults and well developed children while the embryonic stem cells greatly assist in giving strength to the spinal cord of an unborn child while in the womb and also several months after birth. Adult stem cells assist in the transplant of bone marrows after developing from the embryonic stem cells hence these two stem cells complement each other in a huge way. Additionally, both the adult and embryonic stem cells are used in the research and therapeutically in experiments in the field of science. These research programs aim to establish the treatment plan of certain diseases and bodily malfunctions. The stem cells are mainly researched on their ability to survive on transplants and their success rates. The transplantation of tissues requires both the embryonic stem cells and the adult stem cells hence they are both very important in transplantation. Following the above similarities of the adult and embryonic stem cells, there exist a number of differences between the two in their growth, development, survival and their consequent function. These two stem cells also show a difference in their origin and the environments in which the live to function in hence providing the significant division of stem cells into embryonic and adult or somatic stem cells. The main difference comes from their names which give an insight of where these cells originate from in that the embryonic stem cells as stated earlier are found in the embryo during the first five days into two weeks whereas the adult stem cells are found and develop from the bone marrow of most adults and well developed children. The other difference between the embryonic and the adult stem cells is on their ability to undergo isolation through cell culture. Cell culture involves the isolation of cells and growth in a well observed lab environment in mediums separate from the usual body systems. The main media employed in culture of cells is known as agar which exists in molten or solid state depending on the types of cell. Consequently, embryonic stem cells are easier to isolate in cultures than the adult stem cells. The embryonic stem cells survive well in the culture conditions and develop into many other cells as opposed to adult cells which are not easily isolated as it is difficult to obtain new cells. Moreover, another difference between the two stem cells is on their ability to give rise to new stem cells of their own through isolation or through the natural existence. The embryonic stem cells are superior in this case in that they generate new stem cells in both culture media when they are isolated and in the natural way where they exist in the embryo. The adult stem cells on the other hand, are poor generators of off springs as they yield very few stem cells. On the same note, the embryonic stem cells give rise to new cells in a wide variety of cell types whilst the adult stem cells give rise to very few cell types after they undergo differentiation. Though the adult stem cells can undergo isolation in culture they fail in expansion whilst in the culture. Despite the maximum favorable conditions put in place during the culture of adult stem cells, it is difficult for these cells to yield any significant amount of new cells due to their inability to expand in culture. In light of this, the very few generated adult stem cells generated from the culture, are difficult to acquire from the culture without interfering with them. This is different with the embryonic stem cells as they are easily obtained after development in the culture media. Both the embryonic and the adult stem cells may develop from a variety of specialized cells but the difference comes about with the ease of this development. The nature of embryonic stem cells gives them a simple process of their development from their specific developed cells and they become available in large numbers. This is different with the adult somatic cells as they undergo the development processes in a slow and very complicated manner. The adult stem cells develop from their specialized cells after a long time and they yield into few cells hence establishing the great difference between them and the embryonic stem cells. The amount of both the stem cells in the body of an organism varies in that the embryonic stem cells are more than the adult stem cells. On conception where the egg and sperm fuse to form a zygote then follows an embryo, the number of embryonic stem cells ranges from fifty to two hundred in the body of the developing child. This is quite a significant number considering the estimate is found to exist during the first two weeks. In essence, this number is huge compared to the number of adult stem cells that are generated after the new born starts to develop. Consequently, the amount of adult stem cells is generally low in the adult bodies. As stated earlier, the embryonic stem cells and the adult stem cells are both widely used in research and experimental scientific studies. These studies aim to give the correct cell type and amount required to provide efficient healing and treatment of patients who undergo several diseases and malfunctions. Following these studies by the scientists, they have determined the difference in the success of both stem cells in treatment of patients and the overall effectiveness of the stem cells. The embryonic stem cell is now proved to give exemplary results in treating patients and mostly in transplants. Adult stem cells are poor in surviving culture isolation hence the poor records in the experiments as they are not able to provide the correct treatment to patient. This then gives an unsafe measure if the adult cells are employed during treatment of patients. The embryonic stem cells are therefore the most capable cells in successful treatment of patients. In conclusion, there are only two main types of stem cells in mammals. The idea of stem cells is to differentiate and provide growth and development to the living organisms. The stem cells are originally undifferentiated cells which undergo mitosis and become differentiated cells thus giving the cells ability to generate new mature cells. The two main types of stem cells include the embryonic stem cells and the adult stem cells. The adult stem cells are also known as somatic stem cells as they are located in almost all tissues in the body. The embryonic stem cells are on the other hand found in the unborn young ones whilst in the womb and play a role in development and growth of the fetus. The comparison between the two types of stem cells give an indication of how the two complement each other in regard to origin, development and the role they play in the body. The stem cells are found in the body tissues and generally they play a role in boosting growth of the organisms. The main function in which they prevail in include cell replacement of the injured cells and the also the tissue repair in case of a destroyed mass of cells. The two stem cells are involved in protein synthesis through the use of the genes in which they contain. They both also differentiate and give rise to new cells and play a role in treatment of patients especially in transplant of tissues and organs. A contrast between the embryonic stem cells and the adult stem cells gives a picture of the different roles the two play in the body despite the fact that they work together in some cases. The embryonic stem cells appear to be superior to the adult stem cells in that they are the majority in numbers, can undergo successful isolation in culture and give rise to more different cell types as opposed to the adult stem cells. The somatic stem cells which are the adult cells are few in the body, they are difficult to undergo isolation as they do not survive in culture and they also generate few cell types. However, both the adult stem cells and the embryonic stem cells are important in scientific research and experiments on both are underway so as to establish the clear use of both in patient treatment. References Carey, B. W., & Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (2011). Induced pluripotency and reprogramming by defined factors. Földes, Gábor, Liu, Alexander, Badiger, Rekha, Paul-Clark, Mark, Moreno, Laura, Lendvai, Zsuzsanna, Wright, Jamie S., ... Mitchell, Jane A. (n.d.). Innate Immunity in Human Embryonic Stem Cells: Comparison with Adult Human Endothelial Cells. Public Library of Science. Karlsson, Göran. (2007). Smad signaling in hematopoietic stem cell biology. Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy. Upton, K. R., Monash University., & Monash Institute of Medical Research. (2009). Analysis of reprogramming by cell fusion. Wang, Yulan, An, Lili, Jiang, Yuanda, & Hang, Haiying. (n.d.). Effects of Simulated Microgravity on Embryonic Stem Cells. Public Library of Science. Read More