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dedifferentiation
Sign in to saveDedifferentiation () is a transient process by which cells become less specialized and return to an earlier cell state within the same lineage. This suggests an increase in cell potency, meaning that, following dedifferentiation, a cell may possess the ability to re-differentiate into more cell types than it did before dedifferentiation. This is in contrast to differentiation, where differences in gene expression, morphology, or physiology arise in a cell, making its function increasingly specialized.
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Article
19 sectionsContents
- History
- Mechanisms
- Observed markers of dedifferentiation
- Involved pathways
- Plasticity
- Vertebrates
- Zebrafish
- Mice
- Urodeles
- Invertebrates
- Lancelet
- Other Terms Related to Dedifferentiation
- Anaplasia
- Undifferentiation
- Metaplasia
- Transdifferentiation
- Current Research and Future Implications
- See also
- References
Dedifferentiation () is a transient process by which cells become less specialized and return to an earlier cell state within the same lineage. This suggests an increase in cell potency, meaning that, following dedifferentiation, a cell may possess the ability to re-differentiate into more cell types than it did before dedifferentiation. This is in contrast to differentiation, where differences in gene expression, morphology, or physiology arise in a cell, making its function increasingly specialized.
The loss of specialization observed in dedifferentiation can be noted through changes in gene expression, physiology, function within the organism, proliferative activity, or morphology. While it can be induced in a laboratory setting through processes like direct reprogramming and the production of induced pluripotent stem cells, endogenous dedifferentiation processes also exist as a component of wound healing mechanisms.