Human bone, muscle, and nerve cells all contain the same number of chromosomes with the same complement of genes. What enables these cells to perform specialized activities?

Question

The mutation of genes within each cell type
The ability of some cells to remove unnecessary DNA sequences
The use of different methods of cell division
The regulation of gene expression within each cell type

Answer 1

The ability of cells to perform specialized activities despite having the same number of chromosomes and the same complement of genes is primarily due to the regulation of gene expression within each cell type.

Different cell types can express different subsets of genes, which leads to the production of specific proteins and ultimately enables them to carry out their unique functions. This process is influenced by a variety of factors, including transcription factors, epigenetic modifications, and signaling pathways that determine which genes are turned on or off in a given cell type.