If you could be any cell in the human body, what would you be?

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WhatUpDoc! said:
I'd be an RBC... what can I say... I like to travel :D
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Not for long though lol... your lifespan is maybe 4 months, and millions of you die per second, sadly ;(
 
In the spirit of the holidays, I would like to be any cell that carries the infamous Snacksamine gene. For those unfamiliar: it is the genetic predisposition to each a whole damn bag of chips.
 
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potato51 said:
Not for long though lol... your lifespan is maybe 4 months, and millions of you die per second, sadly ;(
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Yes, very sad. :(

Maybe you should try being a wandering macrophage instead, WhatUpDoc. :thumbup:
 
Penis cell
 
C.P. Jones said:
not if macrophage has a say in it...ggggggoooooo macrophage


seriously....don't mess with Mac the macrophage
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Cool. Now that you mention it, I'd like to be a neutrophil. It turns out that they behave like Spiderman: they make "NETs" (neutrophil extracellular traps) composed of DNA, histones, and granule proteins that they use to incapacitate the bad guys. The image below shows Staph aureus stuck in the NETs:

covermed.gif
 
As a student interviewer, i've actually used this question in my interviews. I'd toss it in near the end of the interview -- tends to throw people for a loop when they're accustomed to answering serious questions.
 
debvz said:
As a student interviewer, i've actually used this question in my interviews. I'd toss it in near the end of the interview -- tends to throw people for a loop when they're accustomed to answering serious questions.
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do you actually use this question to figure something out about the person, or just to see if they are still alive and thinking
 
I was going to say cytotoxic t cell but i am too much of a pacifist for that... i'm going to go with neural crest cell... oh the possibilities!
 
I'd be astrocyte myself.
The reason for starting this thread is because I heard that it was one of the interview questions. AND of course, I know that I'd get a kick out you guys' responses!!!! :laugh:
 
DNAroolez said:
i'm going to go with neural crest cell... oh the possibilities!
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:laugh:
 
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I'd be an invading pathogen, perhaps a malaria merozoite.

Malaria.jpg
 
I'm gonna go with Purkinje cell...because i like the word
 
I'd have to go with a neuron in the amygdala-We're one of the few neurons who can replicate/grow and I'm just so emotional all the time.
 
Darlaa said:
I'd have to go with a neuron in the amygdala-We're one of the few neurons who can replicate/grow and I'm just so emotional all the time.
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Cool! I knew that adult neurogenesis occurs in the olfactory bulb and in part of the hippocampus, but I didn't realize the amygdala has been added to the shortlist. Now I know: PubMed link
 
humuhumu said:
Cool! I knew that adult neurogenesis occurs in the olfactory bulb and in part of the hippocampus, but I didn't realize the amygdala has been added to the shortlist. Now I know: PubMed link
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I would be an osteoblast!!!

I just like saying that word. :laugh:
 
humuhumu said:
Cool! I knew that adult neurogenesis occurs in the olfactory bulb and in part of the hippocampus, but I didn't realize the amygdala has been added to the shortlist. Now I know: PubMed link
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Glad I could help you learn on a Saturday :D
 
T-Helper cell. That way I could get AIDS.
 
Tee hee, I was at an interview recently, and my pair of interviewers was talking about how one of the suggested interview questions was kind of silly: what kind of cell would you be? It was kind of silly, but I was able to humorously weave my answer into my dedication to my research. It was amazing :).
 
Nerve cell on the tip of the penis or........ maybe the clitoris is a better idea because of the refractory period being shorter, multiple orgasms, etc.
 
Neuron. Not that i'm a neuroscience major or anything...:cool:
 
either a mammary glad cell, or a melanocyte. If not a cell from the loop of henle....the thin segment, not the thick segment.
 
Treg cell.

I'm always shuttin the party down.
 
humuhumu said:
Cool. Now that you mention it, I'd like to be a neutrophil. It turns out that they behave like Spiderman: they make "NETs" (neutrophil extracellular traps) composed of DNA, histones, and granule proteins that they use to incapacitate the bad guys. The image below shows Staph aureus stuck in the NETs:
Click to expand...

C.P. Jones said:
not if macrophage has a say in it...ggggggoooooo macrophage


seriously....don't mess with Mac the macrophage
Click to expand...

Treg. That way when you two or others get a little too antsy, tell ya to calm down. Like I often do on this website when people bug out, "relax buddy".

edit: oh jeez, this thread is half a decade old. whoops. No wonder why they were so impressed by NETs... silly mid-noughties SDNers...
 
I'd be a skin cell, just get some fresh air for the short time i am there.
 
Neuron, I don't like to work hard and for the vast majority of people I wouldn't have to. :smuggrin:
 
I would be a B cell because it really represents my selfless and giving persona. It has a specific purpose to help the body distinguish bad cells from good ones. This idea really works in parallel to my passion to help underserved communities by not only being a medical advisor, but a leader. Like a B cell, my efforts to get rid of illness and disease will only expand and proliferate until there is only healthy individuals walking the streets of my community. B cells are constantly changing to fight new pathogens, and like them I will be forever a student learning and reading new literature to best arm myself and my communities from the unknown. I work well with others. My only weakness is that I try to hard. I stuff my underpants. I have a 6.0 gpa.
 
humuhumu said:
Cool! I knew that adult neurogenesis occurs in the olfactory bulb and in part of the hippocampus, but I didn't realize the amygdala has been added to the shortlist. Now I know: PubMed link
Click to expand...

A neighboring lab found out that stress hormones, namely glucocorticoids, change the path of differentiation of these neural stem cells. Stress apparently causes stem cells to have a preference to become oligodendrocytes (as opposed to neurons), these cells myelinate neurons and ensure propagation of signal transmission. The scientific interpretation being that under short periods of stressful events, this is an evolutionary adaption. The idea is to improve what you already have within the stressful time given. But due to today's chronic stress lifestyles, this may have an impact on people and may play a role in mental disease later in life.

Thought this was interesting.
 
Retinal Ganglion Cell, or maybe an Astrocyte. Without RGC's you wouldn't be able to see at all.

Here's pics of the RGC's:

single_projection.jpg


a05f1.gif
 
I'll go with gustatory cell. That way I could enjoy chocolate.
 
Err, I'd be a gamete, so that I would have a chance at becoming an actual human with all the cells aforementioned.
 
A hepatocyte, to be helpful after partying.:)
 
oaklandguy said:
Err, I'd be a gamete, so that I would have a chance at becoming an actual human with all the cells aforementioned.
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The gamete itself is "dead" when fertilization occurs.

Also, a lot of people are choosing cells that transmit signals but don't actually experience the conscious sensation they create.

Sorry to be a downer.

With that said, I'd be a malignant cancer cell.

;)
 
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