Different Cell Types in the Body

Question

Different cell types in the body
A) produce exactly the same proteins.
B) have different genes.
C) are identical except for their superficial appearance.
D) have the same genes, but different sets of genes are inactivated.
E) have the ability to take on the characteristics of each other or any cell in the body.

Accepted Answer

All cells in an organism (except for germ cells and mature red blood cells) contain the same set of genes. However, different cell types express different subsets of these genes, which is largely due to the inactivation of different sets of genes in each cell type. This differential gene expression is what leads to the diversity of cell types and functions within an organism.