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Cell type
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{{Short description|Metaclass used to distinguish between cell forms}} {{About|different cell types within a species|coverage regarding [[eukaryote]]s and [[prokaryote]]s|Cell (biology)|a list of human cell types|List of distinct cell types in the adult human body}} A '''cell type''' is a classification used to identify [[Cell (biology)|cells]] that share [[Morphology (biology)|morphological]] or [[Phenotype|phenotypical]] features.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Zeng |first=Hongkui |date=2022 |title=What is a cell type and how to define it? |url=|journal=Cell |volume=185 |issue=15 |pages=2739–2755 |doi=10.1016/j.cell.2022.06.031 |issn=0092-8674 |pmc=9342916 |pmid=35868277}}</ref> A [[multicellular organism]] may contain cells of a number of widely differing and specialized cell types, such as [[muscle cell]]s and [[skin cell]]s, that differ both in appearance and function yet have identical [[Genetics|genomic sequences]]. Cells may have the same [[genotype]], but belong to different cell types due to the differential [[Regulation of gene expression|regulation]] of the [[gene]]s they contain. [[Cell fate determination#Cell fate|Classification]] of a specific cell type is often done through the use of [[microscopy]] (such as those from the [[cluster of differentiation]] family that are commonly used for this purpose in [[immunology]]). Recent developments in [[Single cell sequencing|single cell RNA sequencing]] facilitated classification of cell types based on shared gene expression patterns. This has led to the discovery of many new cell types in e.g. mouse [[Cerebral cortex|cortex]], [[hippocampus]],<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Zeisel A, Muñoz-Manchado AB, Codeluppi S, Lönnerberg P, La Manno G, Juréus A, Marques S, Munguba H, He L, Betsholtz C, Rolny C, Castelo-Branco G, Hjerling-Leffler J, Linnarsson S | title = Brain structure. Cell types in the mouse cortex and hippocampus revealed by single-cell RNA-seq | journal = Science | volume = 347 | issue = 6226 | pages = 1138–42 | date = March 2015 | pmid = 25700174 | doi = 10.1126/science.aaa1934 | s2cid = 29506785 | doi-access = free }}</ref> [[dorsal root ganglion]]<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Usoskin D, Furlan A, Islam S, Abdo H, Lönnerberg P, Lou D, Hjerling-Leffler J, Haeggström J, Kharchenko O, Kharchenko PV, Linnarsson S, Ernfors P | title = Unbiased classification of sensory neuron types by large-scale single-cell RNA sequencing | language = En | journal = Nature Neuroscience | volume = 18 | issue = 1 | pages = 145–53 | date = January 2015 | pmid = 25420068 | doi = 10.1038/nn.3881 | s2cid = 205437148 }}</ref> and [[spinal cord]].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Häring M, Zeisel A, Hochgerner H, Rinwa P, Jakobsson JE, Lönnerberg P, La Manno G, Sharma N, Borgius L, Kiehn O, Lagerström MC, Linnarsson S, Ernfors P | title = Neuronal atlas of the dorsal horn defines its architecture and links sensory input to transcriptional cell types | language = En | journal = Nature Neuroscience | volume = 21 | issue = 6 | pages = 869–880 | date = June 2018 | pmid = 29686262 | doi = 10.1038/s41593-018-0141-1 | s2cid = 5057143 }}</ref> Animals have evolved a greater diversity of cell types in a [[multicellular]] body (100–150 different cell types), compared with 10–20 in plants, fungi, and protists.<ref>{{cite book | author1 = Margulis L |author1-link=Lynn Margulis | author2=Chapman MJ | date = 2009 | title = Kingdoms and Domains: An Illustrated Guide to the Phyla of Life on Earth | edition = 4th | location = Amsterdam | publisher = Academic Press/Elsevier | page = 116 }}</ref> The exact number of cell types is, however, undefined, and the [[Cell ontology|Cell Ontology]], as of 2021, lists over 2,300 different cell types.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Osumi-Sutherland|first1=David|last2=Xu|first2=Chuan|last3=Keays|first3=Maria|last4=Kharchenko|first4=Peter V.|last5=Regev|first5=Aviv|last6=Lein|first6=Ed|last7=Teichmann|first7=Sarah A.|date=2021-06-28|title=Cell type ontologies of the Human Cell Atlas|journal=Nature Cell Biology|volume=23|issue=11|pages=1129–1135|doi=10.1038/s41556-021-00787-7|pmid=34750578|arxiv=2106.14443|s2cid=235658396}}</ref> ==Multicellular organisms== All higher [[multicellular organism|multicellular]] [[organism]]s contain cells specialised for different functions. Most distinct cell types arise from a single [[totipotent]] cell that [[Cellular differentiation|differentiates]] into hundreds of different cell types during the course of [[Development (biology)|development]]. Differentiation of cells is driven by different environmental cues (such as cell–cell interaction) and intrinsic differences (such as those caused by the uneven distribution of [[molecule]]s during [[cell division|division]]). [[Multicellular organisms]] are composed of cells that fall into two fundamental types: [[germ cell]]s and [[somatic cell]]s. During development, somatic cells will become more specialized and form the three primary [[germ layer]]s: [[ectoderm]], [[mesoderm]], and [[endoderm]]. After formation of the three [[germ layer]]s, cells will continue to specialize until they reach a terminally differentiated state that is much more resistant to changes in cell type than its [[Progenitor cell|progenitors]]. The simplest organism considered to have well defined cell types are some [[Volvocaceae|volvoceans]], such as ''[[Volvox carteri]]'', in which each organism is composed of distinct and interdependent cell populations, some somatic and some reproductive.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gilbert |first=Scott F. |title=Developmental biology |date=1997 |publisher=Sinauer |isbn=978-0-87893-244-3 |edition=5th |location=Sunderland (Mass.) |pages=17 |language=en}}</ref> == Conceptual definition == Even though the concept of cell type is widely used, specialists still discuss the exact definition of what constitutes a cell type.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=22 March 2017|title=What Is Your Conceptual Definition of "Cell Type" in the Context of a Mature Organism?|journal=Cell Systems|volume=4|issue=3|pages=255–259|doi=10.1016/j.cels.2017.03.006|issn=2405-4712|pmid=28334573|doi-access=free}}</ref> ==Humans== A [[list of distinct cell types in the adult human body|list of cell types in the human body]] may include several hundred distinct types depending on the source.<ref>{{cite book | title = Molecular Biology of the Cell | edition = Sixth | page = 1217 | first1 = Bruce | last1 = Alberts | first2 = Alexander | last2 = Johnson | first3 = Julian | last3 = Lewis | first4 = David | last4 = Morgan | first5 = Martin | last5 = Raff | first6 = Keith | last6 = Roberts | first7 = Peter | last7 = Walter | name-list-style = vanc }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.cells-talk.com/routingold/ | title = COPE database }}</ref> A 2006 peer-reviewed article by Vickaryous and Hall listed 411 distinct human cell types.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Vickaryous |first1=Matthew K. |last2=Hall |first2=Brian K. |date=August 2006 |title=Human cell type diversity, evolution, development, and classification with special reference to cells derived from the neural crest |url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1017/S1464793106007068 |journal=Biological Reviews |language=en |volume=81 |issue=3 |pages=425–455 |doi=10.1017/S1464793106007068 |pmid=16790079 |s2cid=41969112 |issn=1464-7931|url-access=subscription }}</ref> == See also == * [[List of distinct cell types in the adult human body]] * [[List of human cell types derived from the germ layers]] * [[Stem cell]] * [[Plant cells#Cell types|Types of plant cells]] == References == {{Reflist}} ==Further reading== {{refbegin}} *{{cite journal | vauthors = Arendt D | title = The evolution of cell types in animals: emerging principles from molecular studies | journal = Nature Reviews. Genetics | volume = 9 | issue = 11 | pages = 868–82 | date = November 2008 | pmid = 18927580 | doi = 10.1038/nrg2416 | s2cid = 28467737 }} {{refend}} ==External links== *{{Commons category-inline|Cell types}} [[Category:Developmental biology]]
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