Scientists ask the same question when genetically
identical cells in identical environments — monoclonal cells produced by a single ancestor that replicated — exhibit wildly different behaviors.
The two postembryonic touch receptor neurons in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans arise from
essentially identical cell lineages and have the same ultrastructural features.
The researchers believe the hammerhead shark reproduced by a type of asexual reproduction called automictic parthenogenesis, whereby an unfertilised egg is activated to behave as a normal fertilised egg by a small, nearly genetically
identical cell known as the sister polar body.
Bacteria expressing enzyme in one cell (bright green), while genetically
identical cells do not, remaining protected from antibiotic onslaught; image courtesy of Yuichi Wakamoto / Neeraj Dhar / John McKinney Some strains of nasty bacterial infections, such as MRSA (methicillin - resistant Staphylococcus aureus), come loaded with resistance to antibiotics built right into their genes.
In contrast, the immortalized fat cells allow experiments to be repeated multiple times
on identical cells ensuring consistent, reproducible results.
Once manufactured, whereby thin layers were applied with precise composition by atomic layer deposition (ALD), the researchers compared the stability of these cells
with identical cells without this layer.
The effort worked, but the flashing was erratic rather than regular —
even identical cells quickly became hopelessly out of sync, he said.
Both TMA blocks
contained identical cell lines, cored from cell pellets, as previously detailed for normalization between TMA blocks.
Expression of an individual gene can vary considerably among genetically
identical cells because of stochastic fluctuations in transcription.
«We could show that even between
seemingly identical cells, with the same morphology and the same genome, there are surprisingly pronounced differences on the level of the proteins,» Beck said.
Broadly speaking, however, analysis of transcriptional regulation at the single cell level has provided evidence for a strong stochastic element: genetically
identical cells within the same environment show significant variation in molecular phenotype, in a fluctuating manner [24].
Sheltzer, who began his project in the laboratory of Dr. Angelika Amon at MIT and carried it to conclusion in his own research group at CSHL, placed two sets of otherwise
identical cells in culture dishes, side by side.
But compared to a homogeneous material like water or a magnet — or even a collection
of identical cells in a dish — cancer is a hot mess.
According to the study's lead author, Naomi Ziv, «Heterogeneity among
genetically identical cells in the same environment is a topic of increasing interest in biology and medicine.
Every 16 days, spermatogonia diligently copy their genetic material and divide into two
identical cells.
If the eggs successfully fertilize and the embryos reach the blastocyst stage, or consist of about 120
identical cells, the embryos can undergo biopsy for genetic testing.
Used as a counter electrode in a dye - sensitized solar cell, the material enabled the cell to convert power with up to 6.8 percent efficiency and more than doubled the performance of
an identical cell that instead used an expensive platinum wire counter electrode.
For example, he lumps together competition between genetically
identical cells and competition between alleles in a population.
Up to now such experiments have only been performed on homogeneous bacterial cultures consisting of genetically
identical cells.
By immortalizing fat cells the UI team created a stockpile of continuously dividing,
identical cells that are necessary for repeat experiments to validate results, explains Al Klingelhutz, Ph.D., UI microbiologist and co-senior author of the study.
And while bacteria never form anything more complex than strings of
identical cells, eukaryotic cells cooperate to make everything from brains and leaves to bones and wood.
During the development of an animal embryo from a fertilized egg cell, a process that's called embryogenesis, only a tiny percentage of the millions of genetically
identical cells that make up the embryo will become gametes capable of passing their genomes on to successive generations.
But in a paper published in the journal Cell, researchers at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT reveal that aneuploidy alone can cause this significant variability in traits, in otherwise genetically
identical cells.
Instead they have reversibly entered a state in which they are less susceptible to killing by the antibiotic than other genetically
identical cells in the population.
«It's one set of genetically
identical cells that are in communication with one another that have a sort of common purpose or at least can coordinate themselves to do something,» Volk explains.
Unisexual reproduction is a sexual cycle that can occur between genetically
identical cells and, as we observed here, allows the introduction of limited de novo genetic diversity through meiosis.
«Single cell genomics can be applied to understand the heterogeneity of tumors, to explain how genetically
identical cells may show distinct behavior, and to explore the vast, uncharacterized microbial landscape.
It reinforces the notion that tumors (and TNBC in particular) are not a homogeneous mass of
identical cells, but a collection of distinct sub-populations of cells evolving somewhat independently of one another.
In mitosis, one cell divides to produce two genetically
identical cells.
Thus, many tumors (especially solid tumors) are not a uniform mass of
identical cells, but a heterogeneous mixture of different cell subpopulations.
«Depending upon molecular fluctuations, a single gene in a cell may switch randomly between active and inactive states, leading to vastly different biological responses, even for genetically
identical cells,» says Munsky.
Then you were two
identical cells.
How heterogeneous is each tissue in our body which we maybe superficially consider as collection of
identical cells?
Every drop of this DNA «rocket fuel» contains more than 5 billion
identical cells of energy that feeds your mitochondria like nothing you have experienced before.
Here's another fascinating fact about Oceans Alive (aka marine phytoplankton): According to Activation Products (I quote): «every drop contains more than 5 billion
identical cells of energy that feeds your mitochondria like nothing you have experienced before.»
5 billion
identical cells of energy that feeds your mitochondria like nothing you have experienced before.»
Powerpoint goes through the stages of mitosis and what happens at each stage to result in genetically
identical cells.