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cell body
noun
- the compact area of a nerve cell that constitutes the nucleus and surrounding cytoplasm, excluding the axons and dendrites.
cell body
- The portion of a neuron that contains the nucleus but does not incorporate the dendrites or axon.
yvlog History and Origins
Origin of cell body1
Example Sentences
Flip open any neuroscience textbook and the depiction of a neuron will be roughly the same: a blobby, amoebalike cell body shooting out a long, thick strand.
And hundreds of centrioles, intended for eventual construction of cilia at the cell surface, got stuck in the cell body.
Importantly, it was able to reveal the features where many synapses dwell: the spines that protrude along the vine-like processes, or dendrites, that grow out of the neuron cell body.
"Until this point, models primarily accounted for variables at the scale of the whole cell -- its size, or the time it took to divide, etc. But we know the cell makes these decisions based on amounts of certain molecules in the cell body," Associate Professor Mugler said.
Underpinning this process is a phenomenon known as dendritic translation, which involves an uptick in localized protein production within dendrites, the spiny branches that project off the neuron cell body and receive signals from other neurons at synapses.
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More About Cell Body
What is a cell body?
The cell body is the compact section of a nerve cell that contains the nucleus and the cytoplasm. It is also known as the soma or the perikaryon.
A nerve cell (or neuron) is one of the cells that make up the nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord. Nerve cells send signals in the form of impulses across the body.
The cell body is one part of a nerve cell. The nerve cell also contains the axon, which carries impulses away from the cell, and the dendrites, which carry impulses toward the cell.
The cell body houses the production center of a cell. Inside the cell body is the nucleus, which contains the cell’s DNA and the genetic information on how to make all of the proteins that a cell needs.
The rest of the cell body contains the cytoplasm, a gelatinous substance that surrounds the nucleus. Within the cytoplasm lies all of the other cell organelles you might be familiar with, such as the mitochondria, golgi apparatus, and ribosomes, which make proteins and energy.
Why is cell body important?
The first records of the term cell body come from around 1875. It is made from the word cell, the microscopic structure that is the basic unit of an organism, and the word body, in the sense of “the main mass or the trunk.”
You can think of a nerve cell like a tree. The cell body is the trunk of the tree and houses the organelles that keep the cell alive and productive. The dendrites sprout out of the cell body like the roots of a tree and gather impulses. The impulses travel through the nerve cell and leave the cell body through the axon, which acts as a branch that sends impulses to other nerve cells.
Did you know … ?
While an impulse or signal may pass through the cell body, it is up to the axon and dendrites to actually transport the impulses. Rather than help transport signals, the cell body houses the structures that keep the cell functioning properly.
What are real-life examples of cell body?
Students learn about the cell body when they are taught about neurons and the nervous system.
3.5 years of studying neuroscience and I was today years old when I learned neuronal cell bodies have ribosomes and Golgi apparatus
— 21.875%⚕️ (@marlenemz)
I'm soo tired of looking at Ch. 12 and hearing about neurons, excitatory responses, dendrites, cell bodies, axons etc. … ☹.
— ↃC (@_b0mbchell)
Quiz yourself!
True or False?
The nucleus of a nerve cell is located within the cell body.
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