Cambridge O Level Biology · Syllabus 5090 · Human Gas Exchange
Ciliated Cell
What is Ciliated Cell?
A cell of the epithelium lining the airways whose exposed surface carries many cilia, which are fine hair-like projections a few micrometres long. The cilia beat rhythmically and together within a watery layer of fluid, and their tips engage the thicker sticky layer of mucus resting on top, so that their coordinated beating moves the whole sheet of mucus upward along the airway toward the throat, carrying with it the dust particles and pathogens the mucus has trapped. At the throat the mucus is swallowed, and many of the trapped pathogens are then destroyed in the acidic conditions of the stomach. Ciliated cells do not produce mucus, which is secreted by the neighbouring goblet cells, and their cilia can be damaged by smoking, which reduces the clearing of mucus from the airways.
This definition is part of the Human Gas Exchange chapter in Cambridge O Level Biology.
Questions students ask about Ciliated Cell
What do goblet cells and cilia do?
Goblet cells in the lining of the airways secrete mucus, a sticky fluid that traps dust particles and pathogens carried in with the air. Ciliated cells beside them carry many fine cilia that beat together and move the mucus toward the throat, where it is swallowed; many of the trapped pathogens are then destroyed in the acidic conditions of the stomach. Goblet cells make the mucus and cilia move it, and neither does the other’s job.