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Related Concept Videos

Cell Diversity01:13

Cell Diversity

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The concept of a cell started with microscopic observations of dead cork tissue by Robert Hooke in 1665. Hooke coined the term "cell" based on the resemblance of the small subdivisions in the cork to the rooms that monks inhabited, called cells. About ten years later, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek became the first person to observe the living and moving cells under a microscope. In the century that followed, the theory that cells represented the basic unit of life developed.
Multicellular...
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What are Cells?01:15

What are Cells?

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Cells are the smallest and basic units of life, whether it is a single cell that forms the entire organism, e.g., in a bacterium, or trillions of them, e.g., in humans. No matter what organism a cell is a part of, they share specific characteristics.
Basic Characteristics of Cells
A living cell has a plasma membrane, a bilayer of lipids that separates the aqueous solution inside the cell called the cytoplasm from the outside environment.
Furthermore, a living cell possesses genetic information...
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Classification of Epithelial Tissues: Overview01:22

Classification of Epithelial Tissues: Overview

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Epithelial tissues are classified according to the shape of the cells and the number of cell layers formed. Cell shapes can be squamous (flattened and thin), cuboidal (square-like, as wide as it is tall), or columnar (rectangular, taller than it is wide). Additionally, the nucleus shape helps identify the type of epithelial cells. Squamous cells have flattened disc-shaped nuclei, cuboidal cells have spherical nuclei, and columnar cells have elongated nuclei.
Based on the number of cell layers,...
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Classification of Leukocytes01:30

Classification of Leukocytes

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Leukocytes are classified into two groups based on the presence or absence of cytoplasmic granules. Granular leukocytes, which contain granules, belong to the myeloid lineage and are divided into three subtypes: neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils. These cells are roughly spherical and characterized by the granules in their cytoplasm.
Neutrophils are the most abundant type of granular leukocytes, comprising 50-70% of all leukocytes. They feature small, evenly distributed granules and a...
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Animal and Plant Cell Structure01:30

Animal and Plant Cell Structure

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Animal and plant cells not only differ in their structure, function, and mode of nutrition but also in how they reproduce, specialize, and organize into complex structures.
Cell Division
Though both plant and animal cells divide by mitosis (for non-gametic cells) and meiosis (for gametic cells), they differ in the specifics of this process. Unlike animal cells, plant cells lack centrosomes — an organelle responsible for organizing the spindle fibers and segregating the chromosomes during...
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Cellular Differentiation00:57

Cellular Differentiation

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How does a complex organism such as a human develop from a single cell? It all starts from a single fertilized egg which gives rise to a vast array of cell types, such as nerve cells, muscle cells, and epithelial cells that characterize the adult? Throughout development and adulthood, cellular differentiation leads cells to assume their final morphology and physiology. Differentiation is the process by which unspecialized cells become specialized to carry out distinct functions.
A zygote is a...
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Discrimination and Characterization of Heterocellular Populations Using Quantitative Imaging Techniques
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What is a cell type and how to define it?

Hongkui Zeng1

  • 1Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.

Cell
|July 22, 2022
PubMed
Summary

Understanding cell types, the organism's basic units, is complex due to their diverse properties. This review explores their evolution, classification, and function, proposing a framework for studying cellular changes in health and disease.

Area of Science:

  • * Evolutionary developmental biology
  • * Cellular and molecular biology
  • * Neuroscience

Background:

  • * Cell types are fundamental to organismal function but challenging to define and categorize.
  • * Phenotypic diversity across multiple levels complicates cell type classification.
  • * Understanding cell types is crucial for deciphering organismal complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To provide an overview of cell type principles in evolution and development.
  • * To discuss methods for characterizing and classifying cell types.
  • * To explore the contribution of cell types to organismal function, using the mammalian brain as a model.

Main Methods:

  • * Literature review of evolutionary and developmental biology principles.

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  • * Analysis of approaches for cell type characterization and classification.
  • * Case study focusing on mammalian brain cell types.

    • Main Results:

    • * Established principles of cell type evolution and development.
    • * Overview of current methodologies for cell type identification and categorization.
    • * Demonstrated the role of cell types in mammalian brain function.

    Conclusions:

    • * A conceptual framework and knowledge base for cell types are needed.
    • * This framework will facilitate understanding dynamic cellular changes in health and disease.
    • * Further research is required to build a comprehensive cell type knowledge base.