Cambridge O Level Biology · Syllabus 5090 · Human Gas Exchange
Goblet Cell
What is Goblet Cell?
A specialised cell found in the epithelium lining the airways, including the trachea, the bronchi and the bronchioles. It is named for its shape, being wide at the surface and narrow at the base, and its function is to secrete mucus onto the inner surface of the airway. Inside the cell the mucus is stored as granules packed into the wide upper part, above a nucleus that is pushed down to the narrow base. The mucus released is a sticky fluid that traps dust particles, pollen and pathogens carried in with the inhaled air, so that they do not reach the delicate gas-exchange surface of the alveoli. Goblet cells produce mucus but do not move it; the mucus is moved by the beating of cilia on the neighbouring ciliated cells.
This definition is part of the Human Gas Exchange chapter in Cambridge O Level Biology.
Questions students ask about Goblet 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.