• Question: When two oppsite cells meet what happens?

    Asked by mfcsam1999 to Callum, Gina, Katie, Michelle, Sam on 15 Nov 2012.
    • Photo: Callum Johnston

      Callum Johnston answered on 15 Nov 2012:

      I would say that cells don’t really have opposite cells. When cells meet in the body the normally speak to each other through chemical signals so they can find out who the other cell is. Then they can decide whether they are similar cells that like being next to each other or whether one is a cell from outside the body, in which case it might send out an alarm to tell its buddies “this foreign cell shouldn’t be here!”

    • Photo: Michelle Linterman

      Michelle Linterman answered on 15 Nov 2012:

      Hi, as Callum said we don’t really think of cells being opposites. But in your immune system you do have cells that do opposite jobs. For example one type of cell, a T cell, wants to fight infection, but another type of cell a ‘regulatory’ cell wants to stop the T cell from fighting. In the end what happens is they seem to compromise, and there is enough of an infection fighting response so you don’t get sick but not so much that there is lots of damage caused to the body.

    • Photo: Katie Howe

      Katie Howe answered on 18 Nov 2012:

      HI there – nice question :). As the other scientists said – cells dont usually have opposite cells. But an example of two cells which could be considered to be opposite are the sperm and egg. When they meet they can fuse together in a process called fertilisation.

      Sperm and eggs are a bit special though – normal cells dont usually just merge into one when they meet. The sperm contains a special chemical which helps the sperm to digest its way through the outer wall of the egg. The sperm and egg can then combine and this results in an embryo which eventually grows into a baby. When any other random cell meets with the egg it cannot fuse with the egg as it doesnt contain the special digestive chemical. So this chemical is important for making sure that the egg can only combine with sperm cells as it is supposed to. This is a good example of how cells use chemicals to control what happens when they meet.

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