pluripotency

noun

plu·​ri·​po·​ten·​cy ˌplu̇r-ə-ˈpō-tᵊn-sē How to pronounce pluripotency (audio)
: the property or state of being pluripotent
Just like embryonic stem cells, these reprogrammed cells seemed capable of becoming any of the 200-plus cell types in the human body, an ability called pluripotencyPatrick Barry
pluripotency has long been the elusive core of germinal development that, if properly controlled, could lead to organ and tissue regeneration in humans.Kitchener D. Wilson and Joseph C. Wu

Examples of pluripotency in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Yamanaka initially thought his experiment would take 20 or 30 years to be successful, as his team tested combinations of different factors using trial and error to reverse a cell to pluripotency. Juergen Eckhardt, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024 Embryonic stem cells have the ability to give rise to all kinds of different cell types that make up organisms—a quality that scientists call pluripotency. Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 6 Mar. 2024 Wu says that for him, the key value of the study comes in proving out the high pluripotency of the stem cells that scientists use in the lab. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023 This process endows them with pluripotency, or the ability to become any type of cell, including neural stem cells. Linda Marsa, Discover Magazine, 2 Jan. 2019 It was long assumed that when these embryonic cells lose their pluripotency, that versatility is gone forever. Philip Ball, Scientific American, 18 Apr. 2023 Reversely, genes related to pluripotency, or a cell’s capacity to branch out into many different types of cells or tissues in the body, went the other way. Stav Dimitropoulos, Popular Mechanics, 6 Apr. 2023 But this ability, known as pluripotency, is hard won. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 28 Aug. 2011 Copy number variation and selection during reprogramming to pluripotency. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 2 Mar. 2011

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pluripotency was in 1927

Dictionary Entries Near pluripotency

Cite this Entry

“Pluripotency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pluripotency. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

pluripotency

noun
plu·​ri·​po·​ten·​cy ˌplu̇r-ə-ˈpōt-ᵊn-sē How to pronounce pluripotency (audio)
plural pluripotencies
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