Somatic Cells

Definition

Somatic cells are any cells in an organism other than reproductive cells. These cells make up most of our body tissues and organs, such as skin, muscle, and bone.

Related terms

Mitosis:

Mitosis is a cell division process where somatic cells replicate themselves exactly into two identical daughter cells.

Cell Differentiation:

Cell differentiation is the process by which unspecialized somatic cells become specialized for specific functions in our body.

Diploid Cells: Somatic cells are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes - one set from each parent.