Totipotency or plenipotency: rethinking stem cell bipotentiality.

Area of Science:

• Developmental Biology
• Stem Cell Biology
• Reproductive Medicine

Background:

• The term 'totipotency' is frequently misapplied in stem cell research to describe cells with bipotentiality.
• Current terminology lacks a clear distinction between bipotential stem cells and pluripotent cells, particularly regarding extraembryonic tissue contribution.
• Misapplication of 'totipotency' hinders accurate understanding of early embryonic development and stem cell capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically examine the developmental continuum from totipotency to pluripotency.
• To re-evaluate the concept of plenipotency in the context of preimplantation development.
• To refine stem cell terminology by distinguishing totipotency, pluripotency, and plenipotency.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on early embryonic development and stem cell biology.
• Analysis of developmental potential and fate decision-making capacity in various cell types.
• Comparison of totipotent, pluripotent, and emerging bipotential stem cell models.

Main Results:

• Totipotent cells possess the inherent capacity to generate an entire organism, including extraembryonic tissues.
• Bipotential stem cells, while capable of forming multiple lineages, often lack the autonomous ability to initiate and sustain sequential fate decisions for complete organism development.
• Emerging stem cell models exhibiting bipotentiality align more closely with the concept of plenipotency due to a loss of critical developmental timing and cell number information.

Conclusions:

• Distinguishing plenipotency from totipotency and pluripotency is crucial for accurate scientific communication.
• Clarifying these terms enhances our understanding of early embryonic development and stem cell behavior.
• Refined terminology aids in addressing ethical considerations in human stem cell research.