Which type of adult stem cells gives rise to only one specialized cell type?

Unipotent stem cells are specialized stem cells that have the capacity to differentiate into only one specific type of cell. This means they can give rise to only one specialized cell type, which is crucial for tissue maintenance and repair. For example, certain unipotent stem cells can develop into specific types of skin cells or muscle cells, but they cannot transform into other cell types.

In contrast, multipotent stem cells have the ability to differentiate into multiple types of cells within a particular lineage or tissue. For instance, hematopoietic stem cells can produce various types of blood cells but not different tissue types. Oligopotent stem cells fall somewhere between multipotent and unipotent, as they can differentiate into a limited number of cell types, typically from a particular lineage. Pluripotent stem cells have a much broader differentiation potential, being able to give rise to nearly all cell types in the body, except for those needed to support fetal development.

Therefore, the defining characteristic of unipotent stem cells is their focus on producing a single specialized cell type, which differentiates them from the other categories of stem cells.