why our skin and liver, the largest organs in our body, regenerate but other organs can’t?
In: 335
There are two ways an organ can regenerate. One is through a reserve of stem cells. Stem cells have the ability to create new cells; sometimes they can create multiple different types of cells. They are called “immature” or “undifferentiated” bc they do not resemble their more mature forms. People are most familiar with stem cells in the bone marrow, which create different types of blood cells. But there are forms of stem-like cells (progenitor cells) in other organs, such as in the skin, where the bottom layer of the epidermis (basal cells) gives rise to new cells.
The second way to regenerate is by having mature or “differentiated” cells switch into replication mode through complicated cell signaling. This is much less common but is notably seen in the liver.
The reason some organs cannot regenerate is because they do not have a stem cell/progenitor cell reserve and they do not have the ability to switch back into replication mode. These cells are called “terminally differentiated” – the most used example are muscle cells in the heart.
Latest Answers