Cells: the basic unit of life

Cells
• Living things are made up of tiny structures
called cells
• Small in size (microscopic) – so weren’t
discovered until invention of microscopes
(mid-1600)
• Constitute structures of organisms and
perform various functions
 Cells
• Robert Hooke and discovery of cells

Fig 1, Ch3, Life Science

Cork
Cells
 Cells
• Finding cells in other organisms
• Anton van Leeuwenhoek 1673 (pond water containing
protists)

Fig 2, Ch3, Life Science

 Cells
• Matthias Schleiden 1838
– Concluded that plant tissue is composed of cells

• Theoder Schwann 1839

– Observed animal tissues
Plant and animal cells
 Cell theory
• Cell theory 1839
1: All organisms consist of one or more cells
2: Cell is the basic unit of structure for all organisms

• Rudolf Virchow 1858 – studies on cell division

– Cells arise by division of other, pre-existing cells
3: All cells arise from pre-existing ones
 Cells
• Unicellular and multicellular

• Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic

Prokaryote and eukaryote
 Prokaryote and eukaryote
• Bacteria – unicellular prokaryote
• Escherichia, Salmonella etc.
• Protists– unicellular eukaryotes
• (paramecium, amoeba)
• Humans – multicellular eukaryotes

• Multicellular organisms are all eukaryotic

 Cell size and
shapes
• Cells vary in shape
and size
– In general,
prokaryotic cells
are smaller in size

Fig 1.3, World of the Cell, 8th Ed., Hardin

 Cell size and shapes

Cover figure Ch. 1, Molecular biology of the cell, 3rd Ed., Alberts
 Cell size and shapes

Egg yolk is one big cell

(Fig 3, Ch3, Life Science) Figures 20.19 and 20.20, Molecular
biology of the cell, 3rd Ed., Alberts
Cell size and shapes

Fig: 1.1, World of the Cell, 8th Ed., Hardin

Parts of the Cell
 Parts of the cell
• Cell membrane
• Cytoplasm
• Organelles

Fig 4, Ch3, Life Science

 Parts of the cell
• Genetic material

Fig 5, Ch3, Life Science

 1. Cell wall
• Outermost, rigid, supportive layer
• In plants, fungi

Fig 1, Ch3, Section 2, Life Science

 Cell wall
• Plant cell wall – cellulose
• Fungi cell wall – chitin
• Bacterial cell wall - peptidoglycan

• Animal cells don’t have cell walls

• Animals cannot digest cellulose
 2. Cell membrane
• Protective barrier
• Lipid in nature
• Contain hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups
• Two layers of phospholipids
• Also contain proteins
• Defines cell perimeter (boundary), controls
transport (nutrients, water, wastes, etc.)
Cell membrane
Fig 2, Ch3, Section 2, Life Science
 3. Cytoskeleton
• Network of structural proteins
• Provide support, protect cell from collapsing
• Organelle movement
• Contains three types of proteins
– One protein is a hollow tube.
The other two are long, stringy
fibers, one of the stringy proteins
is also found in muscle cells
Cytoskeleton
 4. Nucleus
• Membrane bound organelle contains DNA
• Bound by two membranes (inner and outer)
• Only in eukaryotes (plants and animals)

• DNA contains information about protein synthesis

• Proteins carry out cellular functions
• Nuclear pores
• Nucleolus
Nucleus
 5. Ribosome
• Organelles involved in protein synthesis
• Complex made up of proteins and RNA
• Ribosomes are not membrane bound
 6. Endoplasmic reticulum
• System of folded membranes
• Proteins, lipids and other materials are synthesized
• Transport and delivery of substances
• Extended network throughout the cell
• Ribosomes can be associates (rough ER)
• Without ribosomes (smooth ER)
Endoplasmic reticulum
 7. Mitochondria
• Membrane bound organelle
• 2 membranes (inner and outer)
• Sugars are broken down to produce energy
• Energy generated is in form ATP (adenosine
triphosphate)
• Mitochondria are of the size of bacteria and have
their own DNA and ribosomes
• They can divide within a cell
Mitochondria
 8. Chloroplast
• Found in plants, algae and some bacteria
• Absent in animals
• Chloroplasts contain green colored pigment known as
chlorophyll which absorbs light for photosynthesis
• Chloroplasts also have two membranes
• Plants can make their own food by obtaining energy from
sunlight (photosynthesis)
• During photosynthesis, plants produce sugars and oxygen by
using CO2, sunlight and water
• The sugar produced is utilized by mitochondria to produce
ATP
Chloroplast
 9. Golgi complex
• Stacks of membranes
• Package and distribute proteins
• Materials (lipids, proteins etc.) are delivered from ER
to Golgi and are processed & modified there
• The final material leaves Golgi enclosed in a piece of
Golgi membrane. The membrane pinches off as a
vesicle (a small sac made up of membrane)
• The vesicle then carries the material (cargo) to
various cellular locations
Golgi complex
 10. Lysosomes and vacuoles
• Lysosomes are small vesicles involved in cellular
digestion
• Contains hydrolytic (digesting) enzymes
• Degrade foreign material or damaged cellular
material, get rid of wastes
• Various sizes and shapes
• Cells engulf food as vacuoles. Lysosomes fuse and
pour their contents to digest food material
 Lysosomes and vacuoles
• Vacuoles are vesicles meant for storage
• They have variety of sizes and store different types of
materials
• e.g. some store digestive enzymes
• Plant vacuoles are larger in size. They store water
and salts. When there is enough water, plant vacuole
swell and help in supporting plant cells. Vacuoles
with less water result in wilting.
Lysosomes and vacuoles
Summary