Immediately after an embryo forms, it begins to replicate new cells. What is the most likely type of cell that forms during the first few cell divisions? One multipotent cells, two oligopotent cells, three pluripotent cells, four totipotent cells

1 answer

Immediately after an embryo forms, during the first few cell divisions, the most likely type of cell that forms is four totipotent cells.

Totipotent cells have the potential to develop into any type of cell in the body, including both the embryonic and extraembryonic tissues (like the placenta). This totipotency is characteristic of the zygote and the initial divisions of the embryo, allowing it to form all the necessary structures for a complete organism. As development progresses, cells begin to differentiate into pluripotent and then multipotent cells.