[Campbell Biology P.1110] According to the text, which statement best defines or characterize... | Practice Question

According to the text, which statement best defines or characterizes totipotency in the context of embryonic development?

  • A: Totipotency refers to a cell's ability to develop into any specialized tissue type, but not an entire organism.
  • B: Mammalian embryonic cells remain totipotent up to the 16-cell stage, after which they are determined.
  • C: A totipotent cell can develop into all the different cell types of the species it belongs to, including extraembryonic tissues.
  • D: The totipotency of cells is primarily determined by the even distribution of the gray crescent during early cleavage.

Explanation

The text explicitly defines totipotent as "meaning that they can each develop into all the different cell types of that species." For true totipotency, this also implies the ability to form extraembryonic tissues required for a complete organism, unlike pluripotency. The text also clarifies that mammalian cells are totipotent only through the 8-cell stage.