Question

One of the following cells, you can call 'perfectly totipotent'.

• A. Neurons
• B. Parenchyma plant cell
• C. Sclerenchyma plant cell
• D. Kidney cell

Answer 1

The correct option is B Parenchyma plant cell

• Somatic nucleated cells are totipotent or able to produce a complete organism. This is especially so, in the case of plant cells. In animal systems, nerve cells or neurons lose their capacity to divide.
• Also, a fully differentiated kidney cell may divide to form a kidney cell only and not a complete organism because of differentiation.
• In-plant systems, sclerenchyma are dead at maturity and hence, do not divide. A parenchyma cell is normally a non-dividing permanent cell but can be suitably induced to divide and form a complete organism, that is, under certain conditions it can dedifferentiate and revert back to meristematic activity.

Thus, the correct answer is option B.