cell (sel)
1. any of the protoplasmic masses making up organized tissue, consisting of a nucleus surrounded by cytoplasm enclosed in a cell or plasma membrane. It is the fundamental, structural, and functional unit of living organisms. In some of the lower forms of life, such as bacteria, a morphological nucleus is absent, although nucleoproteins (and genes) are present.
2. a small, more or less closed space.
accessory cells macrophages involved in the processing and presentation of antigens, making them more immunogenic.
acid cells parietal c's.
acinar cell , acinic cell, acinous cell any of the cells lining an acinus, especially the zymogen-secreting cells of the pancreatic acini.
adventitial cell pericyte.
air cell
1. any minute bodily chamber filled with air, such as an alveolus of the lung.
2. a cavity containing air and surrounded by a bodily structure, usually one of the bones of the head, such as the ethmoid or mastoid.
alpha cell
1. a type of cell found in the periphery of the islets of Langerhans that secretes glucagon.
2. acidophil (2).
alveolar cell pneumonocyte; any cell of the walls of the pulmonary alveoli; often restricted to the cells of the alveolar epithelium (squamous alveolar cells and great alveolar cells) and alveolar phagocytes.
Alzheimer cells
1. giant astrocytes with large prominent nuclei found in the brain in hepatolenticular degeneration and hepatic coma.
2. degenerated astrocytes.
amacrine cell any of five types of retinal neurons that seem to lack large axons, having only processes that resemble dendrites.
ameboid cell a cell that shows ameboid movement.
Anichkov's cell a plump modified histiocyte in the inflammatory lesions of the heart (Aschoff bodies) characteristic of rheumatic fever.
APUD cells [a mine p recursor u ptake and d ecarboxylation] a group of cells that manufacture polypeptides and biogenic amines serving as hormones or neurotransmitters. The polypeptide production is linked to the uptake of a precursor amino acid and its decarboxylation to an amine.
argentaffin cells enterochromaffin cells that reduce ammoniacal silver solutions without additional treatment with a reducing agent; the reducing substance is serotonin.
Arias-Stella cells columnar cells in the endometrial epithelium which have a hyperchromatic enlarged nucleus and which appear to be associated with chorionic tissue in an intrauterine or extrauterine site.
Askanazy cells large eosinophilic cells found in the thyroid gland in autoimmune thyroiditis and Hürthle cell tumors.
automatic cell pacemaker c.
B cells B lymphocytes.
band cell a late metamyelocyte in which the nucleus is in the form of a curved or coiled band.
basal cell an early keratinocyte, present in the stratum basale of the epidermis.
basal granular cells APUD cells located at the base of the epithelium at many places in the gastrointestinal tract.
basket cell a neuron of the cerebral cortex whose fibers form a basket-like nest in which a Purkinje cell rests.
beaker cell goblet c.
beta cell
1. a type of basophilic cell that makes up most of the bulk of the islets of Langerhans and secretes insulin.
2. basophil (3).
Betz cells large pyramidal ganglion cells forming a layer of the gray matter of the brain.
bipolar cell a neuron with two processes.
blast cell
1. blast (1).
2. the least differentiated blood cell without commitment as to its particular series; it precedes a stem cell.
bone cell osteocyte.
bristle cells the hair cells associated with the auditory and cochlear nerves.
burr cell schistocyte.
cartilage cell chondrocyte.
CD4 cells a major classification of T lymphocytes, referring to those that carry CD4 antigens; most are helper cells.
CD8 cells a major classification of T lymphocytes, referring to those that carry the CD8 antigen, including cytotoxic T lymphocytes and suppressor cells.
chief cells
1. columnar or cuboidal epithelial cells that line the lower portions of the gastric glands and secrete pepsin.
2. pinealocytes.
3. the most abundant parenchymal cells of the parathyroid, being polygonal epithelial cells rich in glycogen, having granular cytoplasm and vesicular nuclei, and arranged in plates or cords; cf. oxyphil c's.
4. the principal chromaffin cells of the paraganglia, each of which is surrounded by supporting cells.
5. chromophobe c's.
chromaffin cells cells staining readily with chromium salts, especially those of the adrenal medulla and similar cells occurring in widespread accumulations throughout the body in various organs, whose cytoplasm shows fine brown granules when stained with potassium bichromate.
chromophobe cells faintly staining cells in the adenohypophysis; some are nongranular (either nonsecretory, immature presecretory, or degenerating cells), while others have extremely small granules; they are increased in chromophobe adenomas.
Claudius cells cuboidal cells, which along with Böttcher's cells form the floor of the external spiral sulcus, external to the organ of Corti.
columnar cell an elongated epithelial cell.
committed cell a lymphocyte which, after contact with antigen, is obligated to follow an individual course of development leading to antibody synthesis or immunological memory.
cell of Corti a hair cell in the organ of Corti.
cuboidal cell an epithelial cell whose transverse and vertical diameters are approximately equal.
daughter cell one formed by division of a mother cell.
decidual cells connective tissue cells of the uterine mucous membrane, enlarged and specialized during pregnancy.
Deiters cells the outer phalangeal cells of the organ of Corti.
delta cells cells in the pancreatic islets that secrete somatostatin.
dendritic cells cells with long cytoplasmic processes in the lymph nodes and germinal centers of the spleen; such processes, which extend along lymphoid cells, retain antigen molecules for extended periods of time.
dust cell alveolar macrophage.
effector cell any cell, such as an activated lymphocyte or plasma cell, which is instrumental in causing antigen disposal accomplished by either a cell-mediated or a humoral immunological response.
enamel cell ameloblast.
enterochromaffin cells chromaffin cells of the intestinal mucosa that stain with chromium salts and are impregnable with silver; they are sites of synthesis and storage of serotonin.
epithelial cells cells that cover the surface of the body and line its cavities.
epithelioid cells
1. large polyhedral cells of connective tissue origin.
2. highly phagocytic, modified macrophages, resembling epithelial cells, which are characteristic of granulomatous inflammation.
3. pinealocytes.
erythroid cells blood cells of the erythrocytic series.
ethmoid cells , ethmoidal cells, ethmoidal air cells ethmoidal sinuses; paranasal sinuses found in groups within the ethmoid bone and communicating with the ethmoidal infundibulum and bulla and the superior and highest meatuses; often subdivided into anterior, middle, and posterior.
eukaryotic cell a cell with a true nucleus; see eukaryote.
excitable cell a cell that can generate an action potential at its membrane in response to depolarization and may transmit an impulse along the membrane.
fat cell a connective tissue cell specialized for the synthesis and storage of fat; such cells are bloated with globules of triglycerides, the nucleus being displaced to one side and the cytoplasm seen as a thin line around the fat droplet.
fat-storing cell of liver lipid-accumulating, stellate cells located in the perisinusoidal space of the liver.
foam cells cells with a vacuolated appearance due to the presence of complex lipids; seen notably in xanthoma.
follicle cells , follicular cells cells located in the epithelium of follicles, such as those of the thyroid or ovarian follicles.
follicular center cell any of a series of B lymphocytes occurring normally in the germinal center and pathologically in the neoplastic nodules of follicular center cell lymphoma; they are believed to be intermediate stages in the development of lymphoblasts and plasma cells and are distinguished according to size (large or small) and the presence or absence of nuclear folds or clefts (cleaved or noncleaved).
G cells granular enterochromaffin cells in the mucosa of the pyloric part of the stomach, a source of gastrin.
ganglion cell a large nerve cell, especially one of those of the spinal ganglia.
Gaucher cell a large cell characteristic of Gaucher's disease, with eccentrically placed nuclei and fine wavy fibrils parallel to the long axis of the cell.
germ cells the cells of an organism whose function it is to reproduce its kind, i.e., oocytes and spermatozoa and their immature stages.
ghost cell
1. a keratinized denucleated cell with an unstained, shadowy center where the nucleus has been.
2. a degenerating or fragmented erythrocyte with no hemoglobin.
giant cell
1. any very large cell, such as the megakaryocyte of bone marrow.
2. any of the very large, multinucleate, modified macrophages, which may be formed by coalescence of epithelioid cells or by nuclear division without cytoplasmic division of monocytes, e.g., those characteristic of granulomatous inflammation and those that form around large foreign bodies.
glial cells neuroglial c's.
globoid cell an abnormal large histiocyte found in large numbers in intracranial tissues in Krabbe's disease.
glomus cell
1. any of the specific cells of the carotid body, which contain many dense-cored vesicles, occurring in clusters surrounded by other cells with no cytoplasmic granules.
2. any of the modified smooth muscle cells surrounding the arterial segment of a glomeriform arteriovenous anastomosis.
goblet cell a unicellular mucous gland found in the epithelium of various mucous membranes, especially that of the respiratory passages and intestines.
Golgi cells see under neuron.
granular cell one containing granules, such as a keratinocyte in the stratum granulosum of the epidermis, when it contains a dense collection of darkly staining granules.
granule cells
1. diminutive cells found in the granular layers of the cerebral and cerebellar cortices.
2. small nerve cells without axons, whose bodies are in the granular layer of the olfactory bulb.
granulosa cells cells surrounding the graafian follicle and forming the stratum granulosum and cumulus oophorus, after ovulation becoming lutein cells.
gustatory cells taste c's.
hair cells sensory epithelial cells with long hairlike processes (kinocilia or stereocilia) found in the organ of Corti and the vestibular labyrinth.
hairy cell one of the abnormal large leukocytes found in the blood in hairy cell leukemia, having numerous irregular cytoplasmic villi that give the cell a flagellated or hairy appearance.
heart-disease cells , heart-failure cells, heart-lesion cells macrophages containing granules of iron, found in the pulmonary alveoli and sputum in congestive heart failure.
HeLa cells cells of the first continuously cultured carcinoma strain, descended from a human cervical carcinoma.
helmet cell schistocyte.
helper cells , helper T cells differentiated T lymphocytes which cooperate with B lymphocytes in the synthesis of antibody to many antigens; they play an integral role in immunoregulation.
Hensen cells tall supporting cells constituting the outer border of the organ of Corti.
hepatic cells the polyhedral epithelial cells that constitute the substance of an acinus of the liver.
horizontal cell a retinal neuron, occurring in two types, each with one long neurite and several short ones.
Hürthle cells Askanazy c's.
interdental cells cells found in the spiral limbus between the dens acustici, which secrete the tectorial membrane of the cochlear duct.
interstitial cells
1. Leydig c's (1).
2. large epithelioid cells in the ovarian stroma, believed to have a secretory function, derived from the theca interna of atretic ovarian follicles.
3. cells found in the perivascular areas and between the cords of pinealocytes in the pineal body.
interstitial cells of Cajal pleomorphic cells having an oval nucleus and long, branching cytoplasmic processes that interlace with processes of adjacent cells, occurring in the gastrointestinal tract and the esophagus; thought to act as pacemakers.
islet cells the alpha and beta cells of the islets of Langerhans.
juxtaglomerular cells specialized cells containing secretory granules, located in the tunica media of the afferent glomerular arterioles, thought to stimulate aldosterone secretion and to play a role in renal autoregulation. These cells secrete the enzyme renin.
K cells
1. killer cells; cells mediating antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity; they are small lymphocytes without T or B cell surface markers, having cytotoxic activity against target cells coated with specific IgG antibody.
2. cells in the duodenal and jejunal mucosa that synthesize gastric inhibitory polypeptide.
killer cells
1. K c's (1).
Kupffer cells large, stellate or pyramidal, intensely phagocytic cells lining the walls of the hepatic sinusoids and forming part of the reticuloendothelial system. 
)
Kupffer cells lining a hepatic sinusoid.
lacunar cell a variant of the Reed-Sternberg cell, primarily associated with the nodular sclerosis type of Hodgkin's disease.
LAK cells lymphokine-activated killer c's.
Langerhans cells stellate dendritic cells, derived from precursors in the bone marrow, containing characteristic inclusions (Birbeck granules) in the cytoplasm and found principally in the epidermis. They are believed to be antigen-presenting cells involved in cell-mediated immune reactions in the skin.
large cleaved cell see follicular center c.
large noncleaved cell , large uncleaved cell see follicular center c.
LE cell a neutrophil or macrophage that has phagocytized the denatured nuclear material of an injured cell (hematoxylin body); a characteristic of lupus erythematosus, but also found in analogous connective tissue disorders.
Leydig cells
1. clusters of epithelioid cells constituting the endocrine tissue of the testis, which elaborate androgens, chiefly testosterone.
2. mucous cells that do not pour their secretion out over the epithelial surface.
littoral cells flattened cells lining the walls of lymph or blood sinuses.
luteal cells , lutein cells the plump, pale-staining, polyhedral cells of the corpus luteum.
lymph cell lymphocyte.
lymphokine-activated killer cells killer cells activated by interleukin-2 and having specificity for tumors refractory to NK cells.
lymphoid cells lymphocytes and plasma cells; cells of the immune system that react specifically with antigen and elaborate specific cell products.
mast cell a connective tissue cell capable of elaborating basophilic, metachromatic cytoplasmic granules that contain histamine, heparin, hyaluronic acid, slow-reacting substance of anaphylaxis, and, in some species, serotonin.
mastoid cells air cells of various sizes and shapes in the mastoid process of the temporal bone.
Merkel cell a specialized cell at or near the epithelial–dermal junction and believed to act as a touch receptor by association with the flat, disklike ending of a nerve fiber (tactile meniscus).
Mexican hat cell target c. (1).
microglial cell a cell of the microglia.
mother cell one that divides to form new, or daughter, cells.
mucous cells cells which secrete mucus or mucin.
muscle cell see under fiber.
myoid cells cells in the seminiferous tubules which are presumed to be contractile and to be responsible for the rhythmic shallow contractions of the tubules.
natural killer cells NK c's.
nerve cell neuron.
neuroendocrine cells the specialized neurons that secrete neurohormones.
neuroglia cells , neuroglial cells the branching, non-neural cells of the neuroglia; they are of three types: astroglia, oligodendroglia (collectively termed macroglia), and microglia.
neurosecretory cell any cell with neuron-like properties that secretes a biologically active substance acting on another structure, often at a distant site.
nevus cell a small oval or cuboidal cell with a deeply staining nucleus and scanty pale cytoplasm, sometimes containing melanin granules, possibly derived from Schwann cells or embryonal nevoblasts; they are clustered in rounded masses (theques ) in the epidermis, and reach the dermis by a kind of centripetal extrusion.
Niemann-Pick cells Pick c's.
NK cells natural killer cells; cells capable of mediating cytotoxic reactions without themselves being specifically sensitized against the target.
null cells lymphocytes that lack the surface antigens characteristic of B and T lymphocytes; seen in active systemic lupus erythematosus and other disease states.
nurse cells , nursing cells Sertoli c's.
olfactory cells a set of specialized cells of the mucous membranes of the nose, which are receptors of smell.
osteoprogenitor cells relatively undifferentiated cells found on or near all of the free surfaces of bone, which, under certain circumstances, undergo division and transform into osteoblasts or coalesce to give rise to osteoclasts.
oxyntic cells parietal c's.
oxyphil cells , oxyphilic cells
1. acidophilic cells found, along with the more numerous chief cells, in the parathyroid glands.
2. Askanazy c's.
P cells poorly staining, pale, small cells almost devoid of myofibrils, mitochondria, or other organelles; they are clustered in the sinoatrial node, where they are thought to be the center of impulse generation, and in the atrioventricular node.
pacemaker cell a myocardial cell displaying automaticity.
packed red blood cells whole blood from which plasma has been removed; used therapeutically in blood transfusions.
Paget cell , pagetoid cell a large, irregularly shaped, pale anaplastic tumor cell found in the epidermis in Paget's disease of the nipple and in extramammary Paget's disease.
Paneth cells narrow, pyramidal, or columnar epithelial cells with a round or oval nucleus close to the base of the cell, occurring in the fundus of the crypts of Lieberkühn; they contain large secretory granules that may contain peptidase.
parafollicular cells ovoid epithelial cells located in the thyroid follicles; they secrete calcitonin.
parietal cells large spheroidal or pyramidal cells that are the source of gastric hydrochloric acid and are the site of intrinsic factor production.
peptic cells chief c's (1).
peritubular contractile cells myoid c's.
pheochrome cells chromaffin c's.
Pick cells round, oval, or polyhedral cells with foamy, lipid-containing cytoplasm, found in the bone marrow and spleen in Niemann-Pick disease.
pigment cell any cell containing pigment granules.
pillar cells elongated supporting cells in a double row (inner and outer pillar c's) in the organ of Corti, arranged to form the inner tunnel. 
)
Pillar cells forming the inner tunnel in the organ of Corti in the inner ear.
plasma cell spherical or ellipsoidal cells with a single nucleus containing chromatin, an area of perinuclear clearing, and generally abundant, sometimes vacuolated, cytoplasm; they are involved in the synthesis, storage, and release of antibody.
polychromatic cells , polychromatophil cells immature erythrocytes staining with both acid and basic stains in a diffuse mixture of blue-gray and pink.
pre-B cells lymphoid cells that are immature and contain cytoplasmic IgM; they develop into B lymphocytes.
pre-T cell a T lymphocyte precursor before undergoing induction of the maturation process in the thymus; it lacks the characteristics of a mature T lymphocyte.
prickle cell a cell with delicate radiating processes connecting with similar cells, being a dividing keratinocyte of the stratum spinosum (prickle cell layer) of the epidermis.
primordial germ cell the earliest recognizable precursor in the embryo of a germ cell; these originate extragonadally but migrate early in embryonic development to the gonads.
prokaryotic cell a cell without a true nucleus; see prokaryote.
pulmonary epithelial cells extremely thin nonphagocytic squamous cells with flattened nuclei, constituting the outer layer of the alveolar wall in the lungs.
Purkinje's cells
1. large branching neurons in the middle layer of the cerebellar cortex.
2. large, clear, tightly packed, impulse-conducting cells of the cardiac Purkinje fibers.
red cell , red blood cell erythrocyte.
red blood cells official terminology for packed red blood c's.
Reed cells , Reed-Sternberg cells the giant histiocytic cells, typically multinucleate, which are the common histologic characteristic of Hodgkin's disease.
reticular cells the cells forming the reticular fibers of connective tissue; those forming the framework of lymph nodes, bone marrow, and spleen form part of the reticuloendothelial system and may differentiate into macrophages.
reticuloendothelial cell see under system.
Rieder cell see under lymphocyte.
Schwann cell any of the large nucleated cells whose cell membrane spirally enwraps the axons of myelinated peripheral neurons supplying the myelin sheath between two nodes of Ranvier.
segmented cell a mature granulocyte in which the nucleus is divided into definite lobes joined by a filamentous connection.
Sertoli cells cells in the seminiferous tubules to which the spermatids become attached and which support, protect, and apparently nourish the spermatids until they develop into mature spermatozoa.
sickle cell a crescentic or sickle-shaped erythrocyte, characteristic of sickle cell anemia.
small cleaved cell see follicular center c.
small noncleaved cell , small uncleaved cell see follicular center c.
somatic cells the cells of the somatoplasm; undifferentiated body cells.
somatostatin cells endocrine cells of the oxyntic and pyloric glands that secrete somatostatin.
sperm cell spermatozoon.
spur cell acanthocyte.
squamous cell a flat, scalelike type of epithelial cell.
stab cell , staff cell band c.
stellate cell any star-shaped cell, as a Kupffer cell or astrocyte, having many filaments extending in all directions.
stem cell a generalized mother cell that has pluripotency (descendants may specialize in different directions), such as an undifferentiated mesenchymal cell that is a progenitor of both red and white blood cells.
suppressor cells lymphoid cells, especially T lymphocytes, that inhibit humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. They play an integral role in immunoregulation, and are believed to be operative in various autoimmune and other immunological disease states.
synovial cells fibroblasts lying between the cartilaginous fibers in the synovial membrane of a joint.
T cells T lymphocytes.
target cell
1. an abnormally thin erythrocyte that when stained shows a dark center surrounded by a pale unstained ring and a peripheral ring of hemoglobin; seen in certain anemias, thalassemias, hemoglobinopathies, obstructive jaundice, and the postsplenectomy state.
2. any cell selectively affected by a particular agent, such as a hormone or drug.
taste cells cells in the taste buds that have gustatory receptors.
tendon cells flattened cells of connective tissue occurring in rows between the primary bundles of the tendons.
theca cells , theca-lutein cells lutein cells derived from the theca interna of the graafian follicle.
transitional cells
1. cells in the process of changing from one type to another.
2. in the sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodes, small, slow-conducting, heterogeneous cells interposed between the P cells and Purkinje cells.
visual cells the neuroepithelial elements of the retina.
white cell , white blood cell leukocyte.
osteoprogenitor cells
the stem cells of the stromal system, the only cells capable of independent osteogenesis. Called also osteogenic precursor cells.
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