4. Introducing cells and tissues
4. Introducing cells and tissues
- Gillian Pocock, Gillian PocockSenior Lecturer in Clinical Science, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, UK
- Christopher D. RichardsChristopher D. RichardsEmeritus Professor of Experimental Physiology, Division of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Faculty of Life Sciences, University College London, London, UK
- and David A. RichardsDavid A. RichardsAssociate Professor, Department of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Husson University School of Pharmacy, Bangor, Maine, USA
Abstract
This chapter explains that cells are the building blocks of the body. There are many different types according to characteristic size and shape. The chapter explains that some cells can be very large, for example the cells of skeletal muscle. These may extend for up to 30 cm along the length of a large muscle. Other cells are very small. The red cells of the blood are small biconcave discs with diameters in the region of 7 μm. The chapter emphasizes that the skeletal muscle fibres and red cells represent some of the striking variations in cell morphology, noting that all cells have certain characteristics which can be evident during differentiation. The structure of a typical mammalian cell is bounded by a cell membrane called the plasma membrane or plasmalemma, which is a continuous sheet that separates the watery phase inside the cell from that outside the cell.
