A cell type is a classification used to distinguish between morphologically or phenotypically distinct cell forms within a species. A multicellular organism may contain a number of widely differing and specialised cell types, such as muscle cells and skin cells in humans, that differ both in appearance and function yet are genetically identical. Cells are able to be of the same genotype, but different cell type due to the differential regulation of the genes they contain. Classification of a specific cell types is often done through the use of microscopy and the analysis of molecules on the cell surface (such as those from the cluster of differentiation family that are commonly used for this purpose in immunology).
Read more about Cell Type: Single-celled Organisms, Multicellular Organisms, Humans
Famous quotes containing the words cell and/or type:
“Why inspire in us a horror of our being?... To look upon the universe as a prison cell and all men as criminals about to be executed is the idea of a fanatic.”
—Voltaire [François Marie Arouet] (1694–1778)
“A cigarette is the perfect type of a perfect pleasure. It is exquisite, and it leaves one unsatisfied. What more can one want?”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)