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Film summary
Skin cells, sperm cells and nerve cells are just some of the cell types that perform specific functions in our bodies. What are they and what do they do?Key facts
- Genes found in the nucleus of a cell determine how it functions.
- Within animals, specialised cells include muscle cells, skin cells, red blood cells, nerve cells and sperm cells.
- In plants, specialised cells include leaf cells and root cells.
- An amoeba is a single-cell organism - it carries all the characteristics of life within one cell.
Transcript
Genes within the nucleus of a cell determine how the cell develops, and how it functions.
For example, muscle cells and skin cells carry the same genes, but they are differently expressed.
This creates specialised cells with unique functions.
Other cell types include: nerve cells.
Nerve cells
Nerve cells conduct electrical impulses throughout the body.
Red blood cells.
Red blood cells
Red blood cells carry oxygen to cells, tissues and organs in the body.
Red blood cells contain haemoglobin, an iron-rich molecule that binds oxygen, and is responsible for the blood's red colour.
Haemoglobin
Sperm cells.
Sperm cells
Sperm cells have one mission, to find and break into an egg cell.
The head holds genetic information and an enzyme to penetrate the egg membrane.
Leaf cells.
Leaf cells
Leaf cells are full of chloroplasts that contain chlorophyll.
Chloroplasts contain chlorophyll
Chlorophyll harnesses sunlight for energy.
Root cells.
Root cells
Root cells absorb water and minerals from the soil, and their unique elongated shape helps increase absorption.
Amoeba
Some organisms are only one cell big!
An amoeba carries all the characteristics of life within its one cell.
However many organisms are multicellular, and their cells are grouped together to form tissues and organs.
Muscle cells form muscle tissue and nerve cells build the tissues of the nervous system.
These tissues cooperate to allow organs to function, such as the brain or heart.
Cells vary enormously.
Their genetic makeup determines how they adapt and perform specific functions.
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Copy and paste the code above to link to this page.Key points
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Genes found in the nucleus of a cell determine how it develops and the specific function it performs.
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Nerve cells conduct electrical impulses throughout the body, and when grouped together they form the tissues of the nervous system.
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Red blood cells carry oxygen to cells, tissues and organs in the body.
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Sperm cells find and break into egg cells during fertilisation.
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Leaf cells are full of chloroplasts that contain chlorophyll, which enables plants to harness light energy through photosynthesis.
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Root cells are elongated cells that absorb water and minerals from the soil.
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Animals and plants are multicellular organisms, whereas some organisms, such as amoeba, are unicellular – they carry all the characteristics of life within one cell.
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Specialised cells in multicellular organisms group together to form tissues, which then make up an organ.
Did you know?
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Around half of us have tiny creatures called eyelash mites living on us, whose diet consists of old skin cells.
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There are around 200 types of cell in the human body.
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Single-cell organisms are so good at adapting to different environments that they make up more than 50% of the total biomass on Earth.
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Big fact
At a width of one micron, the smallest free-living cell is called SAR11. This bacterium may have been around for more than a billion years, but it was only discovered by scientists in 1990. SAR11 plays a major part in the carbon-cycling process as it generates its energy by respiring organic carbon – creating carbon dioxide and water in the process. It produces the nutrients required by the algae that provide half of the oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere. SAR 11 exists in huge numbers: 500,000 of them may be found in a millilitre of sea water. Their combined weight would be greater than that of all the fish found in the oceans.
