Cell potency

Definition

Cell potency is a measure of a cell's ability to differentiate into other cell types. Cell potency for cells varies on a apectrum, from totipotency (ability to differentiate into all cell types in the organism) to unipotency (ability to differentiate into only one other cell type). The concept of cell potency applies to stem cells and progenitor cells.

Spectrum of cell potency

Name	Meaning
totipotency	ability to differentiate into all the cell types supported by the organism
pluripotency	ability to differentiate into any of the three germ layers
multipotency	ability to differentiate into several discrete cell types
oligopotency	ability to differentiate into a few cell types
unipotency	ability to differentiate into a unique cell type