Understanding Specialized Cells and Differentiation

In today's video we're going to cover two really important concepts. First we're going to cover what specialised cells are, and secondly we're going to cover how they become specialised through the process of differentiation. Now if we consider any complex organism, whether it's an animal like a human or a plant like this pea plant, They're made up of loads of different types of cells. We call these different types of cells specialized cells, and in the case of animals examples include sperm cells, muscle cells, nerve cells, and many many more. In fact there are probably around 200 types of specialized cells in humans. Meanwhile examples in plants include root hair cells, phloem cells, and xylem cells. But again there are loads more. To help us understand what it means to be a specialised cell, let's take a closer look at a sperm cell. The role of a sperm cell is to deliver genetic material to an egg cell in order to fertilise it. And in order to achieve this, the sperm cell has a number of adaptations that make it perfect for the job. For example, in its nucleus, a sperm cell only has half as much genetic material as a normal adult cell, which is important because it has to combine with the egg's genetic material to form a normal cellsworth. Another adaptation is the flagellum on the end, which acts like a tail and allows the sperm cell to swim through the uterus and fallopian tube to reach the egg, and in a similar vein, the fact that the overall cell is really streamlined will also help it to swim along. They also have lots of mitochondria, which provide the energy required for all of that swimming. Finally, at the very front, sperm cells have loads of digestive enzymes, which are used to break a hole into the egg cell when the sperm reaches it. So if we take a step back a minute and use this example to think about specialised cells more generally, the key point is that specialised cells have a specific role in the body, and to help them fulfil that role they generally have a specific shape and structure, and they have specific amounts of different organelles like mitochondria. For example red blood cells and nerve cells have completely different shapes, different structures, and different assortments of organelles, because they're adapted to entirely different roles in the body. Now, the last thing we need to cover is differentiation, which is the process by which cells become specialised. If we take humans as an example, life starts out as a single cell called a zygote, which is basically just a fertilised egg cell. This single cell then divides by mitosis into two cells, which in turn divide into four cells, and so on and so on. At this point though, the cells are all identical, and none of them are specialised for specific roles yet. So at some point they have to undergo the process of differentiation that turns them into specialised cells. Like a muscle cell, a skin cell, a nerve cell, or a red blood cell. If you want a definition, You could say that differentiation is the process by which a cell changes to become specialised. And as we saw earlier, this normally involves changing the shape and structure of the cell, as well as the combination of organelles that it contains. One very last thing to say is that cells like these ones in the middle, that have the ability to repeatedly divide by mitosis, and differentiate into different types of specialised cells, are called stem cells. and we'll take a closer look at these in another video. Hey everyone, Amadeus here. I just wanted to let you know that we also have a learning platform where you can watch all of our videos, practice what you've learned with questions, and keep track of all of your progress for both the sciences and maths. It's completely free, so if you haven't already, you can check it out by clicking on our logo here on the right. Or, if you'd like to do the lesson for this particular video, we've put the link to that in the description down below. We've also arranged all of the videos for this subject in a playlist for you here. That's all though, so I hope you enjoy, and I'll see you next time. Thanks!

We call these different types of cells specialized cells, and in the case of animals examples include sperm cells, muscle cells, nerve cells, and many many more. In fact there are probably around 200 types of specialized cells in humans. Meanwhile examples in plants include root hair cells, phloem cells, and xylem cells. But again there are loads more.

To help us understand what it means to be a specialised cell, let's take a closer look at a sperm cell. The role of a sperm cell is to deliver genetic material to an egg cell in order to fertilise it. And in order to achieve this, the sperm cell has a number of adaptations that make it perfect for the job. For example, in its nucleus, a sperm cell only has half as much genetic material as a normal adult cell, which is important because it has to combine with the egg's genetic material to form a normal cellsworth. Another adaptation is the flagellum on the end, which acts like a tail and allows the sperm cell to swim through the uterus and fallopian tube to reach the egg, and in a similar vein, the fact that the overall cell is really streamlined will also help it to swim along.

They also have lots of mitochondria, which provide the energy required for all of that swimming. Finally, at the very front, sperm cells have loads of digestive enzymes, which are used to break a hole into the egg cell when the sperm reaches it. So if we take a step back a minute and use this example to think about specialised cells more generally, the key point is that specialised cells have a specific role in the body, and to help them fulfil that role they generally have a specific shape and structure, and they have specific amounts of different organelles like mitochondria.

For example red blood cells and nerve cells have completely different shapes, different structures, and different assortments of organelles, because they're adapted to entirely different roles in the body. Now, the last thing we need to cover is differentiation, which is the process by which cells become specialised. If we take humans as an example, life starts out as a single cell called a zygote, which is basically just a fertilised egg cell.

This single cell then divides by mitosis into two cells, which in turn divide into four cells, and so on and so on. At this point though, the cells are all identical, and none of them are specialised for specific roles yet. So at some point they have to undergo the process of differentiation that turns them into specialised cells.

Like a muscle cell, a skin cell, a nerve cell, or a red blood cell. If you want a definition, You could say that differentiation is the process by which a cell changes to become specialised. And as we saw earlier, this normally involves changing the shape and structure of the cell, as well as the combination of organelles that it contains. One very last thing to say is that cells like these ones in the middle, that have the ability to repeatedly divide by mitosis, and differentiate into different types of specialised cells, are called stem cells.

and we'll take a closer look at these in another video. Hey everyone, Amadeus here. I just wanted to let you know that we also have a learning platform where you can watch all of our videos, practice what you've learned with questions, and keep track of all of your progress for both the sciences and maths. It's completely free, so if you haven't already, you can check it out by clicking on our logo here on the right.

Or, if you'd like to do the lesson for this particular video, we've put the link to that in the description down below. We've also arranged all of the videos for this subject in a playlist for you here. That's all though, so I hope you enjoy, and I'll see you next time.

Thanks!

Transcript for:Understanding Specialized Cells and Differentiation

Transcript for:
Understanding Specialized Cells and Differentiation