Topic talk:Animal physiology

what is the function of an animal cheek cell and how does it adapt to carry it out? (The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.145.241.151 (talk • contribs) 14:53, 23 September 2007)

Hi, I have copied your question also to the Wikiversity:Help desk. ----Erkan Yilmaz (my talk page, wiki blog) 15:25, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

From the Wikiversity help desk, Sept 07:

Since it is common for biology students to work with cheek cells from inside the mouth, this question is probably about the epithelial cells from the inner (inside the mouth) surface of the cheek. Like other epithelial layers at the interface of the body and the outside world, cheek epithelial cells form a physical barrier that limits the movement of microbes into the body (not into the mouth; think "into the blood and internal tissues"). A major strategy for this is to make the cytoskeletal protein keratin. Keratin forms long filaments inside epithelial cells. Epithelial cells link keratin-containing cytoskeletal filaments into desmosomes at the cell surface. The network of keratin filaments, desmosomes, and other similar proteins allow the epithelial sheet of cells to hold together and function as a solid physical barrier. Another "adaptation" is for rapid cell division. It is very easy to damage the epithelial layer inside the mouth. New epithelial cells of the inside of the mouth can be produced rapidly, so if a wound is created, the hole in the epithelium can be quickly filled in with new cells. --JWS 17:13, 25 September 2007 (UTC)