Cell Division and Stem Cells
Your body contains two main types of cells that behave very differently. Somatic cells are basically any body cell not involved in reproduction - think skin, muscle, or liver cells. These divide through mitosis to create identical diploid copies of themselves.
Germline cells are the reproductive game-changers - these are your gametes (sperm and egg cells) and the stem cells that create them. When they divide by mitosis, you get more diploid germline cells, but when they divide by meiosis, you get four haploid gametes with half the chromosomes (23 instead of 46).
Stem cells are your body's ultimate multitaskers - unspecialised cells that can either self-renew or differentiate into specialised cell types. Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent (can become any cell type), whilst tissue stem cells are multipotent (can only become cells of their specific tissue). Through cellular differentiation, genes are expressed to create proteins that give each cell type its unique characteristics and functions.
Key Point: Remember the difference - diploid cells have 46 chromosomes (23 pairs), whilst haploid cells have just 23 chromosomes (one set).
