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Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells ___.

a. can only be produced through therapeutic cloning
b. can give rise to all tissues and cell types in the body except germ cells
c. can be implanted in foster mothers to produce many types of animals
d. is called totipotent stem cells

asked
User Geniene
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

Mouse embryonic stem cells are pluripotent and can differentiate into nearly all cell types, but cannot develop into a full organism unlike totipotent cells, which include the zygote.

Step-by-step explanation:

Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells are described as pluripotent stem cells. These are the cells that can differentiate into any type of human tissue but cannot support the full development of an organism. They are not totipotent, which is a term for cells that can develop into any cell type necessary for embryonic development, including the full organism. The correct answer to the question 'Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells ___' with regard to the provided options would be that they can give rise to all tissues and cell types in the body except germ cells.

It is important to clarify that the initial embryonic cells from the division of the zygote are totipotent stem cells, capable of giving rise to a complete organism. As development proceeds, cells become pluripotent and then further specialize into multipotent stem cells. Therefore, while pluripotent stem cells like mouse embryonic stem cells can generate a wide variety of cell types, they are not the same as totipotent cells which include the fertilized egg or zygote.

answered
User Jakebman
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