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Glite Dictionary
totipotent

totipotent

9.9
A cell that can become any cell or a whole living thing
  • adjective
  • /ˌtoʊtɪˈpoʊtənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : totipotente
  • Later on, I'll talk about totipotent cells.
  • totipotent cells

Examples

  • During the early stages of development, a zygote is totipotent, capable of forming any type of cell in the organism.

  • However, it is not known whether the few totipotent nuclei originated from differentiated cells or from contaminating stem cells.

    Academic text (1999)

  • 35 Such cells at this stage are totipotent:

    Academic text (1990)

  • In the jargon of embryology, such cells are described as totipotent.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Current skew models aim to determine the stable partitioning of reproduction among totipotent and morphologically similar individuals under given social, genetic, and ecological conditions.

    Academic text (1999)

  • "Regardless," said Provo, "I purchased vats of totipotent cells, at no small cost, and she insisted on genetically tailoring them."

    Fiction book (1995)

  • In the lab, researchers are exploring ways to cultivate totipotent stem cells for potential medical treatments.

  • A key characteristic of totipotent cells is their ability to transform into any cell type needed for growth and development.

Antonyms

specialized
  • US
70 5.4

Made for a particular job, activity, or area

differentiated
  • Specialized
7.4

A cell that has changed to do a specific job in the body

How Potent

totipotent
  • Specialized
9.9
pluripotent
  • Specialized
1 8.9
multipotent
  • Specialized
1 9.5

Surface Forms

totipotent positive

Morphology

totipotent = potent (semi-transparent) = toti + potent

The combining form 'toti-' is not a standalone English word, and while 'potent' (powerful) is clear, the biological sense 'capable of forming an entire organism' requires domain knowledge.

Etymology

The word totipotent comes from two parts: toti- meaning 'whole' (as in 'total') and potent meaning 'powerful'. So a totipotent cell has the 'power' to make a whole organism or any kind of cell.