Cell differentiation and specialisation Flashcards
What’s differentiation ?
process by which cells change to become specialised for its job
What occurs as cells change ?
they develop different subcellular structures and turn into different types of cells which allows them to carry out specific functions
Most differentiation occurs as an organisms ——
develops
For most animal cells, the ability to differentiate is lost at early stages after they’ve become specialised. However, lots of plant cells never really lose the ability to differentiate
Cells that differentiate in mature animals are mainly used for …
Repair and replacing cells such as blood cells
Some cells are undifferentiated = stem cells
Sperm cell - Specialised cell
Specialised for reproduction
Function is to get male DNA to female DNA
long tail, streamlined head to help it swim to egg
lots of mitochondria in cell to provide energy to swim
carries enzymes in head to digest through egg membrane
nerve cell - Specialised cell
Specialised for rapid signalling
function of nerve cell is to carry electrical signals from one part of the body to the another. They are long, cover more distance and have branched connections at their ends to connect other nerve cells and form a network throughout the body.
Muscle cell - specialised cell
Specialised for contraction
Function of a muscle cell is to contract quickly. Cells are long ( space to contract ) and contain lots of mitochondria to generate energy for contraction
Root hair cells - specialised cell
Specialised for absorbing water and minerals
Root hair cells are cells on the surface of plant roots, which grow into long hairs which stick out into the soil = gives plant large SA for absorbing water and mineral ions from the soil
Phloem and Xylem cells - specialised cell
Phloem and Xylem cells Specialised for transporting substances
The cells form tubes, which transport substances such as food and water around plants. To form tubes, the cells are long and joined end to end. Xylem cells are hollow and phloem cells have very few subcellular structures so that stuff can flow through them.
