How do cystic teratomas grow teeth?
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As you may know, all cells in a human body share the same genes. But at the same time they manage to be quite different – your skin cells, brain cells, muscle cells etc. are all vastly different kinds of cells, doing vastly different things. The cells manage this by switching on and off parts of their genome during development. Now there are special cells which are as yet “undetermined” as to what they will turn into. They are called germ cells and embryonal cells. The germ cells are employed in making new egg and sperm cells for procreation. Embryonal cells are present in a developing embryo or fetus for obvious reasons – the baby’s organs and other tissues are being made from them. So these cells can turn into anything whatsoever under right conditions, and that’s how teratomas form – when these cells turn out not how they were supposed to, including cells growing teeth and hair. Embryonal cells can produce congenital teratomas (because adults don’t have those cells anymore). Germ cells can produce new teratomas at any stage of life.
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