undifferentiated

(adjective)

describes tissues where the individual cells have not yet developed mature or distinguishing features, or describes embryonic organisms where the organs cannot be identified

Related Terms

Examples of undifferentiated in the following topics:

  • Cell Types in Bones

    • These osteogenic cells are undifferentiated with high mitotic activity; they are the only bone cells that divide.
    • Osteogenic cells are undifferentiated and develop into osteoblasts.

  • Meristems

    • Plant meristems are centers of mitotic cell division, and are composed of a group of undifferentiated self-renewing stem cells from which most plant structures arise.
    • The apical meristem, also known as the "growing tip," is an undifferentiated meristematic tissue found in the buds and growing tips of roots in plants .

  • Gene Expression in Stem Cells

    • Stem cells are undifferentiated biological cells found in multicellular organisms, that can differentiate into specialized cells (asymmetric division) or can divide to produce more stem cells (symmetric division).
    • An alternative theory is that stem cells remain undifferentiated due to environmental cues in their particular niche.

  • Types of Root Systems and Zones of Growth

    • The zone of cell division is closest to the root tip and is made up of the actively-dividing cells of the root meristem, which contains the undifferentiated cells of the germinating plant.

  • Structural Adaptations for Land in Seedless Plants

    • The apical meristem is made of undifferentiated cells that continue to proliferate throughout the life of the plant.

  • Animal Characterization Based on Features of Embryological Development

    • Unlike protostomes, deuterostomes undergo indeterminate cleavage: cells remain undifferentiated until a later developmental stage.

  • Plant Tissues and Organ Systems

    • Meristematic tissue cells are either undifferentiated or incompletely differentiated; they continue to divide and contribute to the growth of the plant.

  • Natural and Artificial Methods of Asexual Reproduction in Plants

    • The plant part often gives rise to an undifferentiated mass, known as a callus, from which, after a period of time, individual plantlets begin to grow.

  • Plant Life Spans

    • Even as some parts of a plant, such as regions containing meristematic tissue (the area of active plant growth consisting of undifferentiated cells capable of cell division) continue to grow, some parts undergo programmed cell death (apoptosis).

  • The Evolution of Reproduction

    • These organisms produce sperm and eggs from undifferentiated cells in their coelom, storing them in that cavity.