Cell Determination and Differentiation
From a fertilized egg, a wide range of daughter cells arise, and according to the position in the entire assembly, each cell adopts a specific structure and function. All of the daughter cells have the same DNA, and despite this, for each cell are expressed different sets of genes so that they produce different proteins despite their identical genetic material. Cell determination is the process in which initially identical cells become committed to different pathways of development. The chemical environment and the signals from neighbouring cells, are important factors in cell determination.Cell differentiation follows on from cell determination and is the process by which different cell types arise, resulting in cell specialisation, such as muscle cells, nerve cells or red blood cells. Gene expression is regulated by controlling transcription, translation and post translational modification.
This video discusses the underlying mechanisms of cell determination and factors that affect cell determination. Also, the videos explores how gene expression is regulated.