Stem cells in plants
- Found in areas where the plant is growing e.g. the roots and shoots, these areas are called meristems
- All stem cells in plants are totipotent (can mature into any cell type), this means they can be used to grow plant organs or whole new plants--> tissue culturing
Tissue Cultures:
1. A single totipotent cell is take from a meristem
2. The cell is placed in some growth medium that contains nutrients and growth factors (the growth medium is sterile, so microorganisms can't grow and compete with the plant cells
3. The plant stem cell will grow and divide into a mass of unspecialised cells which will mature to become specialised
4. The cells grow and specialise to form a plant organ or an entire plant depending on the growth factors used
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