Shapes of Cells and Their Functions

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Cells of the Cardiovascular System
Cells of the Nervous System
Cells of the Respiratory System
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Cells have unique structures, which formed in the process of evolution. Their shapes are conditional upon the functions they perform. As can be seen from previous studies, cells can change under the influence of external circumstances (see Appendix A). Therefore, the shapes of cells are defined by their functions, and they will have a resemblance when performing similar tasks. The combination of cells in any of the organ systems represents a uniform coordinated mechanism providing for their proper work. It leads to a necessity to consider the activities of various cells in different organ systems in relation to their purpose in order to understand the correlation between their shapes and functions.

Cells of the Cardiovascular System

The cardiovascular system is characterised by the presence of numerous cells comprising the heart, veins, arteries and capillaries. For the purposes of this paper, heart regeneration cells and their shapes and functions are considered (see Appendix C). The first type of cells is cardiac fibroblasts located within the heart. These spindle-like, elongated cells are critical for disposition, maintenance and remodelling of the extracellular matrix that, in turn, provides support for other cells in the cardiovascular system (Feng et al., 2018). The shape of cardiac fibroblasts fully corresponds to their complex task of connecting and ensuring the work of other heart cells.

Another type of cell comprising the human cardiovascular system is the endothelial cell, which are located in blood vessels (see Appendix C). They represent a barrier between the blood and the body tissues, ensuring control over its movement throughout the body (Feng et al., 2018). The shape of endothelial cells is elongated, but the difference from other heart cells is in their flat structure, which allows them to extend and form a barrier. Hence, the shape of cells of the cardiovascular system varies depending on their function.

Cells of the Nervous System

The structure of cells in the nervous system is characterised by their elongated shape, which corresponds to the tasks performed by them (see Appendix A). Thus, for example, long nerve cells or neurons are responsible for making distant connections between the brain and muscles (Haupt & Minc, 2018). They allow for the nervous system’s principal activities, which include transmitting, processing and storing information. The shape of neurons fully corresponds to the task of creating this connection and represents an example of cell formation in the process of evolution. Moreover, the nervous system has different types of neurons, such as, for example, sensory neurons, ensuring the processing of external signals (Haupt & Minc, 2018). However, their shapes are still similar, with only slight differences.

Another type of cell of the nervous systems is the glial cell, but their function and, therefore, their shape is different from neurons. They do not process any information or transmit it throughout the human body but serve to support neurons, ensuring their proper work (Haupt & Minc, 2018). Hence, the functioning of neurons is dependent on the glial cells that bind them together. According to their task, their shape is not only elongated as the shape of neurons but also round with numerous extensions allowing them to establish connections (Haupt & Minc, 2018). Therefore, the cells of the human body, whose work is connected to constant movement within the body, are likely to have an elongated shape.

Cells of the Respiratory System

There are many cells of different shapes comprising the respiratory system, and their physical characteristics correspond to the tasks they perform. Most of them would be of an elongated shape like the neurons or glial cells in the nervous system because their responsibility is to ensure the communication with other organ systems as well as the movement of particles or liquids (see Appendix B). Thus, for example, neuroendocrine cells establish connections with neurons, thereby linking two organ systems, which are respiratory and nervous (Hogan & Tata, 2018). As it is mentioned above, communication tasks help to model the cells into an elongated shape.

Another type of respiratory cell is the basal cell, and its shape and function are entirely different from the ones transmitting information or establishing connections. They function as multipotent stem cells and are located in the epidermis (Hogan & Tata, 2018). The task of basal cells is connected to the regeneration of skin, and it defines their round shape. They are constantly producing new cells and not moving like neurons or neuroendocrine cells. As can be seen from this example, the round shape is a characteristic of cells that do not move in order to perform their tasks.

Conclusion

The evolution of cells is an ongoing process, which defines the change of their shapes in accordance with the function they perform. The cells of cardiovascular, nervous, and respiratory systems considered in the paper reflect the difference between them and the correspondence of shapes to their tasks. Hence, the cells which have to move throughout the body while performing their work are usually characterised as elongated, whereas the ones that do not move are round. Thus, similar shapes do not indicate identical tasks as there are other characteristics such as extensions and other components facilitating their activities.

References

Feng, J., Li, Y., & Nie, Y. (2018). Non-cardiomyocytes in heart regeneration.Current Drug Targets, 19(9), 1077-1086.

Haupt, M., & Minc, N. (2018). How cells sense their own shape – Mechanisms to probe cell geometry and their implications in cellular organization and function. Journal of Cell Science, 131(6), jcs214015.

Hogan, B. L., & Tata, P. R. (2018). Cellular organization and biology of the respiratory system. Nature, 560, 377-381.

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Shapes of Cells and Their Functions

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