Question

How does the DNA methylation pattern compare between embryonic stem cells, somatic cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells?

a. Induced pluripotent stem cells have less DNA methylation than differentiated cells but more than embryonic stem cells and retain some methylation marks of the somatic cells.

b. Somatic cells show the highest amount of DNA methylation, while induced pluripotent stem cells show the lowest.

c. Induced pluripotent stem cells show the highest amount of DNA methylation, while somatic cells show the lowest.

d. Embryonic stem cells show the highest amount of DNA methylation, while somatic cells show the lowest.

e. Embryonic stem cells show the highest amount of DNA methylation, while induced pluripotent stem cells show the lowest.

Answer 1

Ans- a.) Induced pluripotent stem cells have less DNA methylation than differentiated cells but more than embryonic stem cells and retain some meditation marks of the somatic cells.

* Studies have shown that Embryonic Stem cell's chromatin , is in a highly dynamic state with global DNA hypomethylation and a general abundance of transcriptionally active chromatin.

* This global lack of DNA methylation in stem cells could be associated with the ability of such cells to activate a wide range of cell type-specific genes during the differentiation programs .

* Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells  are usually derived from skin or blood cells that have been reprogrammed back into an embryonic-like pluripotent state that provides them with the potential to give rise to more diverse cell types (but limited , unlike the embryonic stem cells ) .