2007-01-10 17:51:22 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
Yes, Red blood cells are living cells. If I may infer from your other question, you seem to think that if there is no nucleus, then it is not a cell at all. So, let me clarify that cells (by definition) are the structural and functional units of all living organisms; it may or may not have a nucleus. For instance, compare prokaryotic cells vs. eukaryotic cells.
The mature red blood cells are designed for just a major function -- the supply of oxygen and designed to do it efficiently everytime.. Being so specialized, it must work like a "robot", not requiring much "central control" from a nucleus. In a sense, it is better off without a nucleus and yet still functions as an important cell.
2007-01-10 18:13:03 · answer #1 · answered by Aldo 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cells with no nuclei, like procaryote cells don't necesarily need to have a nucleus in order to be alive. The definition of life is not having a nucleus, in relative terms, it does require DNA. Red blood cells are not independent organisms, having a nucleus would hinder their efficiency (workers with minds are a no-no for us), they are part of a connective tissue and thus work together only to make ferric oxides, feed those other cells, and clean up all the CO2.
On the other hand, our auto-immune system, with its "smart" white blood cells require information to "remember" certain pathogens.
2007-01-11 01:57:28 · answer #2 · answered by snakker2k 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes red blood cells are alive, they do have a nucleus in its premature form (erythroblast), but the nucleus disappears after several days
2007-01-11 02:00:06 · answer #3 · answered by Yahya d 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
RBCs are indeed alive. They have all other subcellular compartments, but they are specialized to a single function: tissue oxygen loading. Their precursors in bone marrow have the DNA necessary to reproduce them, but DNA replication is costly and time consuming (circa 24 hours) and a typical RBC lasts only five days due to oxidative damage (from carrying oxygen), so I suspect it's a time and energy saver, not to mention if RBCs replicated...chance of oxidative damage to DNA is MUCH higher in a cell that exists to carry large amounts of oxygen, meaning RBC mutation rates would be stellar by comparison to marrow.
2007-01-11 01:57:08 · answer #4 · answered by Fergi the Great 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As I recall from my Biology class last year and my teacher's description of red blood cells was that they carried proteins to where your body needs them and that they are just "baggies full of hemoglobin". So technically, they aren't really cells.
2007-01-11 01:56:49 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋