Year 10 - Science
Specialised cells, unspecialised cells and differentiation
Stem cells and differentiation
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit explores the function of stem cells and the importance of cell differentiation. It discusses the benefits and risks of stem cell use in medicine, evaluates applications of science, and considers the personal, social, economic, and environmental implications of scientific decisions.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to describe examples of specialised cells in humans and plants, and explain how unspecialised cells become specialised.
Key Notes
- Most cells in multicellular organisms are specialised – they have structures that are adapted for the jobs the cells.
- Multicellular organisms grow (make new cells by mitosis) and develop (make specialised cells to form tissues/organs).
- Unspecialised cells become specialised through a process called differentiation.
- During differentiation, particular genes in the cell's genome are switched off or on.
- Specialised cells only use particular genes, so only make the proteins needed for the job they are adapted to do.
Vocabulary To Learn
- multicellular: Animal, plants and fungi made of more than one cell.
- specialised cell: Cells with adaptations to carry out a particular function in a multicellular organism.
- unspecialised cell: Cell with no specific function, but has the capability to turn into different types of cells.
- differentiation: The process of an unspecialised cell becoming a specialised one through the mechanism of turning genes on and off.
- gene: A short section of DNA that carries the genetic code to produce a protein.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Only animals are multicellular; that specialised cells are individual; all DNA in a cell is the same so will produce the same proteins.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Most cells in multicellular organisms are specialised – they have structures that are adapted for the jobs the cells. Multicellular organisms grow (make new cells by mitosis) and develop (make specialised cells to form tissues/organs).
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'multicellular'
Animal, plants and fungi made of more than one cell. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Only animals are multicellular; that specialised cells are individual; all DNA in a cell is the same so will produce the same proteins. Correction: Examples of multicellular plants, with specialised cells, tissues and organs provided; show images of cells as tissues rather than just individual. All cells have the same DNA, but it is whether the genes are turned on that makes them specialise.
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