Question

• What ultimately characterizes different cells from each other? What makes neurons different from immune cells vs. kidney cells, etc.?

Answer 1

Different cells have a unique morphological and physiological characteristics. Different cells perform different functions in the body. This ultimately characterizes different cells from each other. According to the functions they perform,various cells differ in their shapes and sizes.

The neurons are the nerve cells that forms the different parts of the nervous system which includes the brain. The brain has its own immune cells known as microglia. There are other immune cells in the brain known as T cells, B cells, Natural killer cells etc. The neurons send impulses to the brain and spinal cord whereas the immune cells provide immunity to the body. When there is an environmental perturbation, the neurons instruct the immune cells to start producing antibodies when they sense such disturbances in the environment. The kidney cells are known as the nephrons which filter wastes from the blood. Hence, we can say that different types of cells have different functions to perform and so they have various shapes and sizes.