despite cell-type differences in gene expression, somatic cells in most organisms have identical or nearly identical complements of genes
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Somatic cells are any cells in the body that are not germ cells (sperm and egg). They make up most of the body's tissues and organs. Show more…
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Differentiated cells of an organism contain the same genes. (Among the few exceptions to this rule are the cells of the mammalian immune system, in which the formation of specialized cells is based on limited rearrangements of the genome.) Describe an experiment that substantiates the first sentence of this question, and explain why it does.
All cells in an organism contain the same genes; however, the organism contains different types of cells. How is the paradox of 'genomic equivalence' resolved by the concept of 'differential gene expression'?
Adi S.
Once cells have differentiated to their final specialized forms, they never again alter expression of their genes.
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