Anaplasia is the lack of cell differentiation, often leading to tumor formation and increased cell multiplication. It can occur when differentiated cells revert to an undifferentiated state or when stem cells fail to differentiate properly. Anaplastic cells have large, abnormally shaped nuclei, and atypical mitosis. They also grow in an irregular tissue matrix.
Anaplasia is the abnormal lack of differentiation in cells. It is characteristic of malignant tumors and usually refers to a reversal in cell differentiation. However, it can also refer to the inability of cells to differentiate in the first place.
Many tissues in the human body contain stem cells, which are undifferentiated and can self-renew through cell division. Being undifferentiated means that stem cells are multipotent or multidifferential; they can become one of several cell types depending on the body’s needs. For example, stem cells in the bone marrow are capable of differentiating into all different types of blood cells.
Anaplasia occurs when differentiated body cells revert to an undifferentiated state, often forming a tumor. Cells undergoing anaplasia also often show an increased ability to multiply. Stem cells that fail to differentiate properly can also be the source of cancerous tumors.
Most cells in the body contain a nucleus, which can be thought of as the control center of the cell and contains most of the cell’s genetic material. Cytoplasm fills the area between the cell membrane, the outer border of the cell, and the nucleus. Cells that undergo anaplasia are characterized by large dark-colored nuclei and large cytoplasm-to-nucleus ratios, 1:1 instead of the normal 1:4 or 1:6. Additionally, anaplasia can result in cells with multiple nuclei, and the cells themselves are often abnormally large.
The nuclei of cells with anaplasia are often abnormally shaped. The nucleolus, a structure within the cell nucleus that contains ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) and has primary responsibility for all cellular function, is also often abnormally large in an anaplastic cell. Mitosis, or cell division, not only occurs much more often than usual, but is also atypical in nature. While normal mitosis is bipolar, with the genetic material duplicating and dividing into two daughter cells, anaplasia can result in tripolar or quadripolar mitosis.
Anaplasia can also cause cells to grow in an atypical relationship to one another. While normal cells grow in a certain type of tissue matrix depending on their function, anaplastic cells show no such regularity. Anaplasia is the most extreme form of cell growth malfunction.
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