oligopotential

Adjective

oligopotential (comparative more oligopotential, superlative most oligopotential)

1. The capacity of a stem cell to differentiate into a limited number of cell types within a specific lineage, as distinct from other types of stem cells like pluripotent or multipotent cells.
   • It is supposed that ‘feeders’ have a large but finite number of consecutive divisions (i.e. have limited ‘stemness’); they may or may not be committed to a particular cell line (i.e. may be unipitential or multi-oligopotential).1965, Series Haematologic, volume 1, Munksgaard, page 113
   • In Chapter 1 evidence was discussed indicating that major differentiation restriction events in multipotential hemopoietic stem cells seem to be stochastic in nature, because no predictable pattern has been observed in the manner in which oligopotential or monopotential cells are generated...1988, Donald Metcalf, The Molecular Control of Blood Cells, illustrated edition, Harvard University Press, page 67