Specialised cells

Specialised cells

By Hang Doan

Poll

Are all cells in the human body the same?

• Yes

• No

Open Ended

List as many different cells in the human body as possible.

Poll

Do you think they all look the same?

• Yes

• No

Open Ended

Do you think cells are special? Explain your answer

Open Ended

Here are some examples of specialised cells.

Why do you think they are special?

What does specialised mean?

Something that is designed to do a particular job​.

​

e.g Lawyer, dentist, police ​

What does Specialised cells mean?

• They have a specific structure to carry out a specific function.

• Structure equals function. ​

What is special about it?

red blood cell

Red blood cells

To help them do their job, red blood cells have:

• a red pigment called haemoglobin that attaches to oxygen

• no nucleus – without a nucleus, there is more space in the cell to fit haemoglobin

• a flattened disc shape that gives them more surface area to absorb and release oxygen

• flexibility that allows them to bend and squeeze through the smallest blood vessels

Poll

How many days do you think a human can survive without drinking water?

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

​A person can go for 3 days without drinking any water!

• The important job of absorbing the water is performed by specialized cells called intestinal lining cells.

• To help them, each cell has thousands of tiny finger-like projections. These are called microvilli. They increase the surface area so the cell can absorb water more quickly.

Intestinal Lining Cell

Multiple Choice

How many weeks can a person survive without eating any food?

• 1 week

• 2 weeks

• 3 weeks

• Forever because they don't need to eat

​FaT cells

• ​We need some way of storing the energy from food for future use.

  ​

• This important job is performed by fat cells. They are found under the skin and surrounding internal organs.

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• To help them do their job, they contain droplets of fat in the cytosol. The droplets grow and shrink as energy is gained or used.

Multiple Choice

Where are red blood cells located in the body?

• Blood

• Hair

• Eyes

• Skin

Multiple Choice

True or Fales:

Red blood cells carry haemoglobin

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

True or False:

Red blood cells have a nucleus.

• False

• True

Open Ended

Explain why red blood cells do not have a nucleus.

Multiple Choice

What is this?

• Plant cells

• Animal cells

Multiple Choice

What is a specialised cell?

• It has adapted features to carry out a specific function.

• It is just like any cells.

• Cells are not special.

Multiple Choice

What is the job of fat cells?

• Store energy from food.

• They don't do anything.

• They make a person bigger.

• They are just like other cells.

tASK:

Research one of the specialised cell in the table and answer the following questions:

​

1. What the cell's function?

2. What are the cell's adaptions?

​

​Specialised cell
​Nerve cell
Muscle cell​
​Sperm cell
​Root hair cell
​Xylem cell
​Ciliated cells
​Skin cells