Question

A pluripotent stem cell can do which of the following?

1) Differentiate into a finite number of different cell types
2) Differentiate into any type of cell found in the adult
3) Divide an infinite number of times
4) All of the above
5) None of the above

Answer 1

A pluripotent stem cell can differentiate into any type of cell found in the adult body, which makes option 2) the correct answer to the student's question.

Step-by-step explanation:

A pluripotent stem cell has the capability to differentiate into any type of cell found in the adult body. This means that option 2) Differentiating into any type of cell found in the adult is correct. However, pluripotent stem cells do not have the ability to divide an infinite number of times; they also cannot support the full development of an organism, which is a characteristic of totipotent stem cells.

Therefore, the answer to the student's question is that a pluripotent stem cell can: 2) Differentiate into any type of cell found in the adult. This excludes options 1), 3), 4), and 5) as they either do not apply to pluripotent stem cells or are incorrect statements about their capabilities.