Question

What would you call the parenchyma cells that are made to divide under controlled conditions?

Answer 1

Cell differentiation:

1. During cell differentiation, unspecialized cells mature to perform a specific function.
2. Parenchyma cells are those differentiated cells that have regained the ability to divide mitotically and hence are called dedifferentiated cells.

Example:

1. The cell loses its protoplasm and develops a lignified cell wall to facilitate the transport of water by the tracheary elements of the xylem.
2. A single-cell zygote also gives rise to multicellular plants and animals by the process of differentiation.
3. Totipotent cells can then differentiate into any kind of the cell, e.g. blastomere, whereas pluripotent cells can also give rise to many different types of cells, e.g. the stem cells of bone marrow.
4. Parenchyma cells which are made to divide to form the callus under controlled laboratory conditions are an example of the dedifferentiated cells.