Somatic cell
hideSomatic cells are any cells forming the body of an organism, as opposed to germline cells. In mammals, germline cells (also known as "gametes") are the spermatozoa and ova which fuse during fertilization to produce a cell called a zygote, from which the entire mammalian embryo develops. Every other cell type in the mammalian body—apart from the sperm and ova, the cells from which they are made (gametocytes) and undifferentiated stem cells—is a somatic cell: internal organs, skin, bones, blood, and connective tissue are all made up of somatic cells.
The word "somatic" is derived from the Greek word sōma, meaning "body".
For more information about Somatic cell, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with somatic cells
Researchers identify protein -- telomere interactions that could be key in treating cancer
Aug 31, 2009 |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
A team of researchers from The Wistar Institute have shown that a large non-coding RNA in mammals and yeast plays a central role in helping maintain telomeres, the tips of chromosomes that contain important genetic information ...
Protecting cells from their neighbors
Aug 03, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Almost all organisms evolve from a single cell, a fertilised egg. In the first hours after fertilisation, the fate of its future development is determined. It is dictated by the separation of cells that will become sperm ...
Recruitment of reproductive features into other cell types may underlie extended lifespan in animals
Jun 07, 2009 |
5 / 5 (7) |
0
In the sense that organisms existing today are connected through a chain of life - through their parents, grandparents and other ancestors - almost a billion years back to the first animals of the pre-Cambrian era, an animal's ...
World first: Chinese scientists create pig stem cells
Jun 02, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (5) |
4
Scientists have managed to induce cells from pigs to transform into pluripotent stem cells - cells that, like embryonic stem cells, are capable of developing into any type of cell in the body. It is the first time in the ...
Researchers identify key proteins needed for ovulation
May 14, 2009 |
5 / 5 (3) |
0
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other institutions have identified in mice two proteins essential for ovulation to take place.
Specific small RNA pathways protect germ line from transposons
May 05, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
Cells of higher organisms are in a constant struggle against some of their own DNA - repeated bits of DNA sequence called transposons that have infiltrated host genomes over the eons. Transposons damage the rest of the genome ...
When every photon counts
Apr 20, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
The eyes of nocturnal mammals contain particularly large numbers of the highly light-sensitive rods, the photoreceptor type used for night vision. This allows the detection of light levels millions of times ...
Therapeutic cloning gets a boost with new research findings
Mar 25, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
A paper by San Antonio and Honolulu researchers offers the first direct demonstration that cloning by somatic cell nuclear transfer does not lead to an increase in the frequency of point mutations.
Researchers generate functional neurons from somatic cells
Biology /
Feb 24, 2009 |
5 / 5 (3) |
0
In a new study, researchers were able to generate functionally mature motor neurons from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are engineered from adult somatic cells and can differentiate into most other cell types. ...
Move over, sponges: New evidence confirms Placozoans are the closest living surrogate to the ancestor of all animals
Biology /
Jan 27, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (12) |
1
A new and comprehensive analysis confirms that the evolutionary relationships among animals are not as simple as previously thought. The traditional idea that animal evolution has followed a trajectory from ...
