cell specialization Flashcards
Stem Cell
Population of cells within an organisms that retain their ability to divide and diffrenciate
Stem Cell benifits: Self-renewal
They can self-renew. When they divide they produce daughter cells, maintaining stem cells
Stem cell benefit
Recreate damaged tissue cells and replace damaged bone marrow
cell specialization
Cells develop specific structures and functions through differentiation, allowing them to perform unique tasks to support the organism’s needs.
Totipotent
Collection of cells which have not diffrenciated where it is capable of continued division and become any cell
Pluripotent
Become many different cells within a system but cannot produce a complete organism
Multipotent
More specilised and can become more than one cell. (eg. producing multiple blood cells for bone marrow)
Unipotent
it can only become one type of cell
Neuron Cell
4-100 um in diameter
-Dendtrit bring electrical signals to the cell body (branch looking)
-Axon, takes information away from the cell body
Sperm cell
50-60 um
carries genetic information used for sexual reproduction
Egg/Ovum
Essential to the product of a zygote120um
Red blood cell
6.2-8.2 um
White blood cell
12-15um
Muscle
Muscle fibers have unique features that allow for movement 20,000um
Adipose
<20-300um
Cell Specialization Process
1)Zygote Formation: Multicellular organisms begin as a zygote, which is the product of fertilization in sexual reproduction.
2)Cell Division: The zygote undergoes rapid mitotic cell divisions (called cleavage) to form a cluster of undifferentiated cells. These cells are initially identical and unspecialized.
3)Cell Signaling and Differentiation: Morphogens (signaling molecules) regulate gene expression, guiding cells to become specialized through differentiation.
Stem Cell Niches
Specialized environments that regulate stem cell self-renewal and differentiation through signals and support.
SA-Volume Adaption
Smaller cells/organisms have a high SA
ratio, allowing quick material exchange. Larger organisms have a lower ratio, needing adaptations (lungs, circulatory systems) for efficient exchange.
