Stem cell niches at Higher Level: The same statement as SL. The HL page looks harder at what a niche does: it keeps stem cells waiting and switches them on when tissue must be renewed.
Practise this as you read
- Outline the two roles of a niche.
- Discuss where adult stem cells are and what they do.
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The big idea: Adult stem cells live in special places called niches; the niche keeps them as stem cells or tells them to divide and differentiate.
The points to remember
- A stem cell niche is the place in a tissue where stem cells live, with the supporting cells around them.
- Signals from the niche can maintain the stem cells: keep them unspecialized, dividing slowly.
- Or the niche can promote proliferation (more divisions) and differentiation, when new cells are needed.
- Bone marrow: stem cells that make red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
- Hair follicles: stem cells in the bulge make new hair cells, and skin cells after a wound.
- Adult stem cells are multipotent: they repair and maintain their own tissue.
Remember it as: The niche is home: it keeps stem cells waiting, then sends them to work.
Real example: healing a skin wound: When the skin is cut, stem cells from the bulge of nearby hair follicles move out and help to make new skin cells, so the wound closes faster where there are many follicles.
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How it is asked: Expect a short Paper 2 Discuss or Outline on where adult stem cells are and what they do, or a Paper 1A item asking for a stem cell's type and its location.
IB-style questionOutline[2 marks]
Outline the role of the stem cell niche in a hair follicle.
Model answer plan
See the answer broken into clear points, with guidance on how each point earns marks.