Kinds Of Cells

Let’s learn about kinds of cells. The cell is the smallest functional unit of any organism. In fact, some organisms are composed of only one cell, i.e. the so-called unicellular forms of life. There are different kinds of cells and some exist all at once in multi-celled organisms like animals, plants and humans. Humans as well as most plants and animals are products of the union of two cells, the egg cell in the females and the sperm cells from the males.

Studying the different kinds of cells can be theoretical as many learning facilities don’t have enough resources to obtain the gadgets that can show up to the cellular level. If we have to compare what groups of cells look like, they resemble the cross section of a beehive. What we need to know is that the tissues that we often see in the microscope are made of individual cells that have similar functions. There are millions of cells in the human body and here are some of them.

Skin Cells

The skin is one of the most important organs in the human body because it protects the muscles and organs underneath. The skin is also very susceptible to burns and injury, but heals quickly because of the fast turnover of cells in the different layers. Humans shed hundreds of skin cells every day, especially when bathing or doing strenuous activities. There are many kinds of cells in the skin or dermis region of the body.

The epithelium is made up of squamous, cuboidal and columnar cells. The squamous cells are flat in appearance and the nucleus is shaped like a disc. The cytoplasm, which make up the most of the cell, is sparse. Squamous cells are the most fundamental kinds of skin cells. Cuboidal epithelium cells are so named because they resemble cubes stacked neatly and closely. The nuclei of these cells are large and spherical, located at the exact center of the cube. Columnar cells can be characterized as tall and imposing compared to squamous cells and cuboidal cells. The nuclei are oval and some form of protrusions called ciliae can be observed on the surface of some of the cells, i.e. psuedostratified ciliated.

One cell-dense part of the skin that is worth noting is the transitional epithelium, which comprises several kinds of cells like the stratified squamous and basal cuboidal cells. Upon closer inspection, one will also notice the presence of dome-like cells.

Adipose cells in the skin are indispensable because they provide insulation where it matters most. Even in extremely thin individuals, these cells are present. Some of these cells persist from childhood to adulthood, i.e. baby fats. These kinds of cells are closely packed with the nuclei pushed to the edge of the cell to accommodate the large amount of fatty droplet inside.

Muscle Cells

There are many kinds of muscle cells, such as the striated cells comprising the skeletal muscles, which are attached to bones to enable movement. Another important kind of muscle cells is the smooth muscle cells, which comprise involuntary muscles lining the stomach, veins and arteries. Cardiac muscles resemble both smooth muscles and striated muscles.