• Question: do dog cells differ from other cells? if they do; why?

    Asked by jinxstr to Jasmine on 25 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Jasmine Penny

      Jasmine Penny answered on 25 Jun 2013:

      Great question! The cell type I work with (chondrocytes) are really similar between different species. The tissue they make is very similar between species and that is why they are a great model for looking at human joint tissues. In terms of the basic elements of the cell, all animal cells are very similar, i.e. they do not have a cell wall and they have a nucleus. Dogs have different features to us because they have adapted and evolved to have the features they have. For example, when a puppy is developing, cells receive signals to move to one end of the puppy and develop the tail. A long time ago our ancestors had tails but over millions of years we have lost that feature because we don’t need it to survive.

Comments

  • Photo: Dr D

    Dr D commented on :

    The immune system cells of the dog can be really similar to ours. I work on a molecule called ICAM-3. Humans have it and I’m looking now to see if cats and dogs have it – I’m using animal blood from local vets – I like to think that if I make any advance in treatment for heart disease, that these treatments might work for other animals too.