cell
(biology) the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms; they may exist as independent units of life (as in monads) or may form colonies or tissues as in higher plants and animals
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent handle cells by type, organism, structure and state, as the unit underlying biology, medicine and biotechnology.
In biology, the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms, bounded by a membrane, containing genetic material, and able to exist alone or as part of a multicellular body.
What it is for: Cells are the units of life; people study, culture and engineer them for medicine, research and industry.
It can be observe it, under a microscope; culture it, in laboratories under biosafety rules; count and classify it, for diagnosis; engineer it, in regulated biotechnology.
Distinguishing features
Membrane-bound unit of life
Prokaryotic cells lack a nucleus; eukaryotic cells have one
Specialised cell types in multicellular organisms
Other senses of cell (battery, prison, spreadsheet) are different entries
What it looks like
Microscopic units, typically 1-100 micrometres, with a membrane and internal structures visible under staining; eggs and some algae are larger.
Physical character
diameter: 1-100 micrometres - bacteria about 1-2, human cells 10-30
cells in a human body: about 3.7 x 10^13 cells
How it is recognised
Microscopy with stains shows membrane, nucleus and organelles
Shape and size suggest type; markers confirm it
Eggs, roe and spawn are cells or clusters of them in everyday language
Related models
is part of - organisms are made of cells
is studied by - cell biology
contains - genetic material
is confused with - homonyms
In practice
Families and kinds
prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
animal, plant, fungal cells
specialised types: neurons, blood cells, gametes
stem cells
cell lines in culture
Identifiers
Cell Ontology id CL: plus digits cell types
Cellosaurus accession CVCL_ plus code cell lines
Standards and regulation
Biosafety rules for cell culture
Regulation of human tissues and cells, such as EU Directive 2004/23/EC
Stem cell research regulations
Failure modes and hazards
Misidentified or contaminated cell lines
Biosafety lapses with infected cultures
Ethical breaches in human cell research
Analytical facets
- substance
- abstract
- origin
- conceptual
- agency
- inert
- mobility
- not-applicable
- scale
- not-applicable
- affordances
- observable
Also called
+155
Where this came from
oewn:2024 · CC BY 4.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Type What kind of cell.
Cell type decides function and handling.
Classification
Prokaryote, eukaryote, cell type.
Cell type
The cell type.
- What type of cell is this, by Cell Ontology term? definition
- From which organism and tissue? provenance
Markers
How type is confirmed.
Markers
Markers used.
- Which markers confirm the type? measurement
- How reliable is that identification? measurement
Structure and function What it has and does.
Structure explains function.
Structure
Membrane and organelles.
Structure
Structures present.
- Which structures does it have? definition
- How large is it? measurement
Function
Role in the organism.
Function
What it does.
- What is its function? definition
- How does it divide or die? definition
Culture and research Working with cells.
Cultured cells need authentication and biosafety.
Culture
Growing cells.
Culture conditions
Culture conditions.
- Under what conditions is it cultured? definition
- Has the cell line been authenticated? provenance
Biosafety
Containment.
Biosafety level
Required containment.
- Which biosafety level applies? boundary
- Could it carry pathogens? boundary
Ethics and medicine Human cells and therapy.
Human cells raise consent and regulatory questions.
Consent
Donor consent.
Consent
Consent for human cells.
- Was donor consent obtained, and for what uses? provenance
- Is the donor identity protected? boundary
Therapy
Cell therapies.
Therapy status
Regulatory status.
- Is a cell therapy approved, or experimental? provenance
- Where should people get reliable information? action
What the second pass must settle
- Should cell types be separate entries using the Cell Ontology?
- How should cell lines be linked to Cellosaurus?
- The registry entry has merged aliases such as roe and silkworm seed; should they be split off?