When stem cells transforms to form cells characteristic of other tissues, the process is called as -
Ans. is 'c' i.e., Trans-differentiation Transdifferentiation o Transdifferentiation takes place when a non-stem cell transform into a different type of cell, or when an already differentiated stem cell creates cells outside its already estabilished differentiation. o Remember very impoant fact that it is the non-stem cell or already differentiated stem cell (i.e. mature cell) that is transformed into other type of cell. It is not stem cell that is transforming. o Transdifferentiation is a type of metaplasia. o Then, what is the difference between transdifferentiation and metaplasia. In Transdifferentiation only differentiated stem cell is transformed into other cell type, while in metaplasia any of the two, either stem cell or differentiated cell can transform into other cell type. So, all transdifferentiation processes are metaplasia, but not all metaplasia are transdifferentiation. o Most likely question has been wrongly framed here, there should be non-stem cell instead of stem cell in the question. Anyways answer remains the same, as no other option is related to this type of transformation.
De-differentiation
Re-differentiation
Trans-differentiation
Sub-differentiation