Cell biology term. You probably know that the
DNA of every
cell in your body contains your complete
genome. But large parts within each cell are not expressed, such that your
liver never starts salivating and your
eyes don't grow
fingernails. This is because, early in
fetal development, cells "turn off" most of their genes so that they can specialize. But if we could extract totipotent cells from a human, and control their
differentiation, the prospects would be great:
vat-grown replacement organs with no chance of
immune rejection,
neural grafts for people with
Parkinson's disease, endless supplies of
blood for
transfusions,
etceterea.
A totipotent cell is called a
stem cell. Fetuses have stem cells, and early experiments (unfortunately for those concerned with
bioethics, or
PR) worked with tissue from
abortions. New research suggests that
stem cells can also be isolated from
umbilical cord blood or
placentas, as well as the
fat cells and
bone marrow of
adults. Note that bone marrow does express some flexibility; it is a single substance that can divide into
white blood cells,
red blood cells, and
platelets.
The word totipotent comes from
Latin roots, shared with the
English words
total and
potent (in the sense of having abilities). I don't know of any authors or
postmodernists who have used the term
metaphorically, but it's just
ripe for it...