• Question: How do cells recognize other cells?

    Asked by Elisabethcabanas to Tom, Paul, Natasha, Ildiko, Ester, Eoin on 6 Nov 2017.
    • Photo: Natasha Myhill

      Natasha Myhill answered on 6 Nov 2017:

      Great question! Cells can talk to each other in different ways, generally it involves signals and receptors. Cells are always sending and receiving signals so they can work properly and part of this is knowing what cells are around them – then they can work together in a small area (called a tissue) and then tissues can work together as an organ to play a role in the body. Hope this helps!

    • Photo: Tom Speight

      Tom Speight answered on 6 Nov 2017:

      On the outer surface of cells, there’s loads of different types of proteins that each have a different job. Some of those proteins on the cell surface let the cell’s neighbours know they are part of the body too! It’s particularly important for them to let the white blood cells know they belong, because the white blood cells patrol the body to find cells that don’t belong, like bacteria!

    • Photo: Ester Gil Vazquez

      Ester Gil Vazquez answered on 6 Nov 2017:

      That’s an interesting question/topic. As Natasha mentioned, cells are covered by little receptors and ligands. This receptors and ligands are proteins (you can imagine them as lego shapes attached to the surface of the cell) that can detect each other. They normally come in pairs: each receptor can bind to only one ligand or a particular type of ligand. It is a way for cells to shake hands and say “hi there, I am next to you!”. This can also be used to transmit information about what is going on around. For example, some receptors/ligands are only present when there is cell damage or when cells detect something weird (like bacteria).

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