cell

(noun)

The basic unit of a living organism, consisting of a quantity of protoplasm surrounded by a cell membrane, which is able to synthesize proteins and replicate itself.

Related Terms

  • Organism
  • cell,
  • homeostas
  • multicellular
  • Single-celled organism
  • organism
  • eukaryotic
  • prokaryotic
  • phototaxis
  • gene
  • homeostasis
  • stimuli
  • chemotaxis

Examples of cell in the following topics:

  • Cellular Differentiation

    • Three basic categories of cells make up the mammalian body: germ cells, somatic cells, and stem cells.
    • Pluripotent stem cells undergo further specialization into multipotent progenitor cells that then give rise to functional cells.
    • Hematopoietic stem cells (adult stem cells) from the bone marrow that give rise to red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets
    • Mesenchymal stem cells (adult stem cells) from the bone marrow that give rise to stromal cells, fat cells, and types of bone cells;
    • Epithelial stem cells (progenitor cells) that give rise to the various types of skin cells
  • Gene Expression in Stem Cells

    • In mammals, there are two broad types of stem cells: embryonic stem cells, which are isolated from the inner cell mass of blastocysts, and adult stem cells, which are found in various tissues.
    • Stem cells can now be artificially grown and differentiated into specialized cell types with characteristics consistent with muscle or nerve cells through cell culture.
    • In one, the daughter cells are initially equivalent but a difference is induced by signaling between the cells, from surrounding cells, or from the precursor cell.
    • Stem cells are indicated by (A), progenitor cells by (B), and differentiated cells by (C).
    • Pluripotent, embryonic stem cells originate as inner cell mass (ICM) cells within a blastocyst.
  • Cell Theory

    • Cell theory states: living things are composed of one or more cells; the cell is the basic unit of life; cells arise from existing cells.
    • The unified cell theory states that: all living things are composed of one or more cells; the cell is the basic unit of life; and new cells arise from existing cells.
    • "All cells only arise from pre-existing cells.
    • Cells carry genetic material passed to daughter cells during cellular division
    • The cell is the basic unit of life and the study of the cell led to the development of the cell theory.
  • The Role of the Cell Cycle

    • In other words, that original single cell is the ancestor of every other cell in the body.
    • Single-celled organisms use cell division as their method of reproduction.
    • While there are a few cells in the body that do not undergo cell division, most somatic cells divide regularly.
    • A somatic cell is a general term for a body cell: all human cells, except for the cells that produce eggs and sperm (which are referred to as germ cells), are somatic cells.
    • The cell cycle is an ordered series of events involving cell growth and cell division that produces two new daughter cells.
  • Natural Killer Cells

    • After a pathogen enters the body, infected cells are identified and destroyed by natural killer (NK) cells, which are a type of lymphocyte that can kill cells infected with viruses or tumor cells (abnormal cells that uncontrollably divide and invade other tissue).
    • As such, NK cells offer a complementary check for unhealthy cells, relative to T cells.
    • NK cells are always active; an interaction with normal, intact MHC I molecules on a healthy cell disables the killing sequence, causing the NK cell to move on.
    • After the NK cell detects an infected or tumor cell, its cytoplasm secretes granules comprised of perforin: a destructive protein that creates a pore in the target cell.
    • Phagocytic cells then digest the cell debris left behind.
  • Regulation of the Cell Cycle by External Events

    • External factors can influence the cell cycle by inhibiting or initiating cell division.
    • Each cell is produced as part of its parent cell.
    • Some cells do live longer than others, but eventually all cells die when their vital functions cease.
    • Crowding of cells can also inhibit cell division.
    • Another factor that can initiate cell division is the size of the cell; as a cell grows, it becomes inefficient due to its decreasing surface-to-volume ratio.
  • Mechanics of Cellular Differentation

    • How does a complex organism such as a human develop from a single cell—a fertilized egg—into the vast array of cell types such as nerve cells, muscle cells, and epithelial cells that characterize the adult?
    • A multipotent stem cell has the potential to differentiate into different types of cells within a given cell lineage or small number of lineages, such as a red blood cell or white blood cell .
    • Finally, multipotent cells can become further specialized oligopotent cells.
    • Adult bone marrow has three distinct types of stem cells: hematopoietic stem cells, which give rise to red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets ; endothelial stem cells, which give rise to the endothelial cell types that line blood and lymph vessels; and mesenchymal stem cells, which give rise to the different types of muscle cells.
    • The multipotent hematopoietic stem cells give rise to many different cell types, including the cells of the immune system and red blood cells.
  • Cells as the Basic Unit of Life

    • A cell is the smallest unit of a living thing.
    • A living thing, whether made of one cell (like bacteria) or many cells (like a human), is called an organism.
    • For example, both animal and plant cells are classified as eukaryotic cells, whereas bacterial cells are classified as prokaryotic.
    • Bone cells help to support and protect the body.
    • Cells of the immune system fight invading bacteria.
  • Cell-Mediated Immunity

    • Cell-mediated immunity involves cytotoxic T cells recognizing infected cells and bringing about their destruction.
    • Unlike B cells, T lymphocytes (T cells) are unable to recognize pathogens without assistance.
    • As with B cells, the clone includes active TC cells and inactive memory TC cells.
    • The resulting active TC cells then identify infected host cells.
    • B plasma cells and TC cells are collectively called effector cells because they are involved in "effecting" (bringing about) the immune response of killing pathogens and infected host cells.
  • Intercellular Junctions

    • In general, long stretches of the plasma membranes of neighboring plant cells cannot touch one another because they are separated by the cell wall that surrounds each cell.
    • Plasmodesmata are numerous channels that pass between cell walls of adjacent plant cells and connect their cytoplasm; thereby, enabling materials to be transported from cell to cell, and thus throughout the plant .
    • Also found only in animal cells are desmosomes, the second type of intercellular junctions in these cell types.
    • A plasmodesma is a channel between the cell walls of two adjacent plant cells.
    • Plasmodesmata allow materials to pass from the cytoplasm of one plant cell to the cytoplasm of an adjacent cell.
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