INTRODUCTION TO BIOCHEMISTRY SIZE OF CELLS

- Vary in size
WHAT IS BIOCHEMISTRY? - Most cells are very small (microscopic), some may
be very large (macroscopic)
- From the word bio and chemistry: life and how things
- The unit used to measure the size of the cells is
interact micrometer (1 μm = 1/1000 millimeter)
- The branch of science in which you study the chemical - Largest cell: ostrich egg (18 cm)
and physical processes that occur in an organism - Smallest cell: mycoplasma (1 μm)
- Emerged as a distinct discipline around the beginning o Mycoplasma is a genus of bacteria that
of the 20th century when scientists combined chemistry, lacks cell wall around their cell membrane
physiology, and biology to investigate the chemistry of
living systems by: SIZE OF CELLS IN HUMANS
• Studying the structure and behavior of - Sperm cell: smallest (5 μm)
complex molecules found in biological material - Egg cell (ovum): largest (120 μm)
• The way these molecules interact to form cells, - Nerve cell: longest (1 meter)
tissues, and whole organism
SHAPES OF CELLS
PRINCIPLES OF BIOCHEMISTRY - Vary in shape
- Depends mainly upon the function of cells
1. Cells (basic structural units of living organisms) are highly - Shape dictates function
organized and constant source of energy is required to - Some cells like Euglena and Amoeba can change
maintain the ordered state. their shape; but most cells have a fixed shape
a. Cellular and molecular level defects can be - Human red blood cells
seen in the cells. o Circular biconcave (donut shape)
2. Living processes contain thousands of chemical o For easy passage through human
reactions. Precise regulation and integration of these capillaries
reactions are required to maintain life. - Nerve cells
o Branched
a. Aberration on chemical reactions may lead to
o to conduct impulses from one point to
diseases or problems
another
b. There are regulations happening inside the cell - Human white blood cells
c. Cell mutation rarely happens; diseases that we o Can change their shape to engulf
observe are more likely accumulated microorganisms that enter the body
mutations.
d. Cells have DNA repair mechanisms
3. Certain important reaction (e.g. glycolysis) is found in almost
all organisms.
a. There are biomolecular reactions that also
occur in other life forms (e.g. glycolysis in
bacteria)
4. All organisms use the same type of molecule: Carbon
Hydrogen and Oxygen (building blocks of organic
molecules), proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. However,
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorous
are the common elements making up a living system.
5. Instruction for growth, reproduction, and development for
each organism is already encoded in their DNA.

CELLS

- Basic building blocks of life

- Smallest living unit of an organism that is capable of
ANIMAL CELL
performing metabolic/biomolecular processes.
- Embedded in the nuclear
- Grow, reproduce, use energy, adapt, respond to their
envelope
environment Nuclear pore
- Passage of material into or out
- Many cannot be seen with the naked eye (microscopic) of the nucleus
- Can be unicellular (e.g. prokaryotes; bacteria) and
multicellular organisms [e.g. eukaryotes, fungi, yeast, - Control or command center of
and Kingdom Prostita (protists)]. the cell
- Organization of human body: Chemical Level > Cells - Regulates all activities in the
> Tissues > Organs > Organ Systems > Organism Nucleus cell
- All activities are encoded in
the nucleus through the
production of proteins

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 - Discriminates the content of - Where ribosomal RNA is
Nucleolus
Nuclear Envelope the nucleus from the external synthesized (main component
or cytoplasmic environment for ribosomes)
Free ribosomes
- For protein synthesis
Rough Endoplasmic
- Used for protein synthesis
Reticulum

- Powerhouse of the cell

- ATP is synthesized
Mitochondrion - Cellular respiration takes place
(Krebs Cycle and Electron
Transport Chain)

- Refers to the fluid portion of

Cytoplasm the cell
- Where organelles embedded

- Adds structural integrity to the

cell
- Acts as the cable network that
Microfilament
transports material in the cell
form one point to another
e.g. RER > Golgi Apparatus
PLANT CELL
- Part of the endomembrane 1. Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum
system 2. Attached Ribosomes
- Plays an integral role in 3. Cell Membrane
Golgi Apparatus
synthesizing proteins 4. Mitochondrion
- Packages and modifies the 5. Nuclear Envelop
proteins 6. Nucleolus
7. Cytoplasm
- Filters microscopic particles 8. Golgi Apparatus
Cilia 9. Chloroplast
- Line of defense for the body
10. Nucleus
- Suicide bag of the cells 11. Central Vacuoles
- Contains the digestive 12. Vesicles
Lysosome 13. Cell Wall
enzymes
- Engulfs foreign invaders 14. Microtubules
15. Nuclear Pore
- Plays a role in cell division
Centriole - Manufacturing sight for
microtubules
STRUCTURE OF THE CELL
- Have the ability to polymerize If we study a cell under a microscope, we would come across
or depolymerize (shorten or three features in almost every cell:
lengthen)
Microtubules
- Plays a role during cell division 1. plasma membrane,
- Separates sister chromatids 2. nucleus (eukaryotic cells), and
during the Anaphase in cell 3. cytoplasm.
division a. Cytosol
- Semi permeable membrane
b. Cell Organelles
o Selectively; allows certain
i. Endoplasmic Reticulum; Golgi Body;
molecules to enter or exit
Plasma Membrane the cell Lysosomes; Vacuoles; Mitochondria;
- Has two layers of Plastids; Centrosomes; and
phospholipids Cytoskeletons

All activities in the cell inside the cell and interactions of the cell
Smooth
Endoplasmic - Used in lipid synthesis with its environment are possible due to these features.
Reticulum

- Sight of protein synthesis

- Translation of mRNA from the
Ribosomes
nucleus
- Where decoding of amino acid
happens

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1. Plasma Membrane 2. Nucleus

- Dense spherical
body located near
the center of the
cell

- Diameter varies
from 10 to 25 μm
(micrometer)

- Present in all the

cell except red
blood cells and
- Extremely delicate, thin, elastic, living and semi- sieve tube cells
permeable membrane (semi-permeable because it - Well developed in plant and animal cells
allows the entry of certain molecules) - Undeveloped in bacteria and blue-green algae
- Made up of two layers of lipid molecules in which (cyanobacteria)
protein molecules are floating; includes the presence of - Most of the cells are uninucleated (having only one
proteins (transporters), glycoproteins and glycolipids. nucleus)
- Thickness varies from 75 – 110 A° (angstrom) - Few types of cells have more than one nucleus
- Can be observed under an electron microscope only (skeletal muscle cells)
- Functions: o Nuclear Membrane
o Maintains shape and size of the cell  Double layer covering of nucleus
o Proteins internal contents of the cell  Has pores of diameter about 80-100
o Regulates entry and exit of substances in and nm
out of the cell o Nucleoplasm
o Maintains homeostasis  Colorless dense sap present inside
the nucleus
Cell Wall (Plant Cells)  Contains round shaped nucleolus and
network chromatin fibres
o Fibres
 Composed of deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA) and protein histone
 Are condense to form chromosomes
during cell division
o Chromosome
 Contain stretches of DNA called
genes

- Non-living and outermost covering of a cell (plants,

fungi, and bacteria)
- Can be tough, rigid and sometimes flexible
- Made up of different polysaccharides: cellulose,
hemicellulose, and pectin.
- May be thin or thick, multilayered structure
- Thickness varies from 50-1000 A°(angstrom)
- Functions:
o Provides definite shape, strength, and rigidity
o Prevents drying up (desiccation) of cells
o Helps in controlling cell expansion
o Protects cell from external pathogens
o Genes
 Transfer the hereditary information
from one generation to the next
- Functions:
o Control all the cell activities like metabolism,
protein synthesis, growth and cell division
o Nucleolus synthesizes ribonucleic acid (RNA)
to constitute ribosomes
o Store hereditary information in genes

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3. Cytoplasm ii. Golgi Body
- Jelly-like material
formed by 80% of o Discovered
water by Camillo
- Present between Golgi
the plasma o Formed by
membrane and the stacks of 5-8
nucleus membranous
- Contains a clear sacs
liquid portion called o Sacs are
cytosol and various usually
particle flattened and
- Particles are are called
proteins, the cisternae
carbohydrates, o Has two
nucleic acids, lipids and inorganic ions ends: cis face situated near the endoplasmic
- Also contains many organelles with distinct structure reticulum and trans face situated near the cell
and functions membrane
- Some of these organelles are visible only under an o Functions:
electron microscope  Modifies, sorts, and packs materials
- Granular and dense in animal cells and thin in plant synthesized in the cell
cells  Delivers synthesized materials to
various targets inside the cell and
A. Cytosol outside the cell
- Clear liquid portion around the organelles  Produces vacuoles and secretory
vesicles
B. Cell Organelles  Forms plasma membrane and
i. Endoplasmic Reticulum lysosomes
o Golgi Body at Work:
 From the ER which synthesized
proteins
 Proteins are further modified in the
Golgi apparatus
 Enclosed in a membrane called
vesicles
 Vesicles will fuse with the plasma
membrane (membranous sac makes
it able to fuse)
 Proteins that are synthesized are
delivered to its specific destination
iii. Lysosomes

o Suicide bag
of the cell
o Network of tubular and vesicular structures o Small,
which are interconnected with one another spherical, single
o Some parts are connected to the nuclear membrane sac
membrane, while others are connected to the o Found
cell membrane throughout the
o Two types: smooth (lacks ribosomes) and cytoplasm
rough (studded with ribosomes) o Filled with
o Functions: hydrolytic
 Gives internal support to the enzymes
cytoplasm o Occur in
 RER synthesize secretory proteins most animal cells and in few types of plant cells
and membrane proteins o Functions:
 SER synthesize lipids for cell  Help in digesting of large molecules
membrane  Protect cell by destroying foreign
 In liver cells, SER detoxify drugs and invaders like bacteria and viruses
poisons  Degradation of worn out organelles
 In muscle cells, SER store calcium  In dead cells perform autolysis
ions o Programmed cell death – cell that perform
suicide in order to survive

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iv. Vacuoles

o Single vi. Plastids

membrane sac
filled with liquid o Are double membrane-bound organelles
or sap (water, found inside plants and some algae
sugar and o Responsible for activities related to making
ions) and storing food
o In animal o Often contain different types of pigments that
cells, vacuoles can change the color of the cell
are temporary,  Chromoplast
small in size • Contains pigments namely in
and few in flowering plants
number  Leucoplast
o In plant • Contains food (elaioplast,
cells, vacuoles are large and more in number amyloplast, proteoplast)
o May be contractile or non-contractile  Chloroplast
o Functions:
 Store various substances including
waste products
 Maintain osmotic pressure of the cell
 Store food particles in amoeba cells
 Provide turgidity and rigidity to plant
cells
 Also maintain the shape of the cell

v. Mitochondria

• Contains the green pigment

(chlorophyll)
• Double membrane-bound
organelles found mainly in
plant cells
• Usually spherical or discoidal
in shape
• Shows two distinct regions-
grana and stroma
• Grana are stacks of
thylakoids (membrane-
o Small, rod shaped organelles bounded by two bound, flattened discs)
membranes – inner and outer • Thylakoids contain
o Outer membrane is smooth and encloses the chlorophyll molecules which
contents of mitochondria are responsible for
o Inner membrane is folded in the form of shelf photosynthesis.
like inward projections called cristae • Stroma is a colorless dense
o Inner cavity is filled with matrix which contains fluid
many enzymes • Functions:
o Stages of Cellular Respiration: (1) Glycolysis o Convert light energy
(Cytoplasm) – (2) Krebs Cycle (matrix of into chemical
mitochondria) – (3) Electron Transport Chain energy in the form of
(inner membrane) food (chlorophyll
o Contain their own DNA which are responsible captures light
for many enzymatic actions energy, then enters
o Functions: the light reaction
 Synthesize energy rich compound afterwards the dark
ATP reaction to stroma
 ATP molecules provide energy for the forming glucose)
vital activities of living cells o Provide green color
to leaves, stems and
vegetables

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 Difference of plant and animal cell:

vii. Centrosome

o It is the
membrane
bound
organelle
present near
the nucleus
o Consists of
two structures
called
centrioles

o Centrioles
 Are hollow, cylindrical structures Animal cell under the microscope:
made of microtubules
 Arranged at right angles to each other
o Functions:
 Form spindle fibres which help in the
movement of chromosomes during
cell division
 Help in the formation of cilia and
flagella

viii. Cytoskeleton
o Formed by
microtubules and
microfilament
o Microtubules are
hollow tubules made
up of protein called
tubulin
o Microfilament are
rod shaped thin
filaments made up of
protein called actin
o Functions:
 Determine the shape of the cell
 Give structural strength to the cell
 Responsible for cellular movements Plant cell under the microscope:

BASIC TYPES OF CELL

Prokaryotic Cell Eukaryotic Cell

1. Nucleus is undeveloped 1. Nucleus is well developed

2. Only one chromosome is 2. More than one
present chromosome is present
3. Membrane bound 3. Membrane bound
organelles are absent organelles are present
(lack complexity) (complex)
4. Size ranges from 0.5-5 4. Size ranges from 5-100
μm μm
5. Examples: bacteria, and 5. Examples: all other
blue-green algae organism (anima cell,
plant, cell, fungi, and
protist)

Two Main Types of Eukaryotic Cells:

• Animal Cell
• Plant Cell

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