Cell specialisation
At school, the principal has a different job than the teachers, who in turn have different jobs than the groundsman. But whatever the job, they all started off similar (as babies). Likewise, all cells start off the same, as “stem cells”. As an organism develops the stem cells change in different ways to end up as different cells with different jobs. This process is called “cell specialisation”.
Examples of cell specialisation in animals: brain cells vs. muscle cells
Brain cells have an extra layer of fat around the cell. This helps to increase the speed of transmission of electrical impulses.
Muscle cells have a higher number of mitochondria than other cells. Mitochondria are the cell organelles where respiration takes place, so muscle cells are capable of making more energy than other cells.
Examples of cell specialisation in plants: palisade cells vs. xylem cells
Palisade cells are found near the top surface of leaves. Their job is to absorb the sun’s energy for photosynthesis, so they have a higher number of chloroplasts.
Xylem cells are the “pipes” of a plant. They are for water transport and must be strong enough to withstand the pressure of the water. They have extra thick and strong walls.
Because the cells differ according to their job, cell specialisation is sometimes referred to as “division of labour”.
Scientists and researchers are interested in stem cells they have the capacity to serve any function after they are instructed to specialise, i.e. they can be induced to become any desired cell type. This makes them powerful enough to regenerate damaged tissue under the right conditions.
Ah, the future of medical science...