Table 1.
Terms used in the analysis of stem cell population heterogeneity.
Gene expression heterogeneity | Cell-to-cell variation in the expression level of a gene or genes in an isogenic cell population |
Micro-heterogeneity | The dispersion in the distribution of a trait (e.g. specific protein content) within a state (attractor) |
Macro-heterogeneity | The multimodal distribution of a trait |
Cell-fate heterogeneity | Varying lineage specification potential among cells exposed to the same environmental condition(s) |
Gene expression noise | Fluctuations in gene expression due to stochasticity in pertinent biochemical reactions, e.g. random promoter activation, transcription bursts, and mRNA/protein degradation |
Extrinsic noise | Noise contributed from sources affecting cell properties globally, e.g. asynchronous proliferation and asymmetric division |