The cell

The cell is the functional basic unit of life. It was

discovered by Robert Hooke and is the functional unit of
all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life
that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the
building block of life. .

Some organisms, such as most bacteria, are unicellular

(consist of a single cell). Other organisms, such as
humans,are multicellularThere are two types of cells:
eukaryotic and prokaryotic

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 ▪ Prokaryote = without a nucleus
▪ Eukaryote = with a nucleus

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 Eukaryotic cells

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Euaryotic cells

Contain 3 basic cell structures:

• Nucleus
• Cell Membrane
AP Biology • Cytoplasm with organelles
 Components

▪ Cytoplasm ▪ Lysosomes
▪ Nucleus ▪ Cytoskeleton
▪ Mitochondria
▪ Centriole
▪ Chloroplast
▪ Ribosomes ▪ Cilium and
▪ Golgi body Flagellum
▪ Vacuoles ▪ Microvilli
▪ Cell membrane
▪ Cell Wall
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 Prokaryotic cells

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 Components
▪ Cytoplasm
▪ Ribosomes
▪ Nuclear Zone
▪ DNA
▪ Plasmid
▪ Cell Membrane
▪ Mesosome
▪ Cell Wall
▪ Capsule (or slime layer)
▪ Flagellum

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 Summary of differences!

Prokaryotic Cells Eukaryotic cells

small cells (< 5 nm) larger cells (> 10 mm)

always unicellular
no nucleus or any membrane-bound
organelles
DNA is circular, without proteins
often multicellular
always have nucleus and other
membrane-bound organelles
DNA is linear and associated with
proteins to form chromatin

ribosomes are small ribosomes are large

no cytoskeleton always has a cytoskeleton

cell division is by binary fission cell division is by mitosis or meiosis

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 The Cell Membrane

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 The Cell Membrane

AP Biology 2007-2008
 Overview
▪ Cell membrane separates living cell from
nonliving surroundings
◆ thin barrier = 8nm thick
▪ Controls traffic in & out of the cell
◆ selectively permeable
◆ allows some substances to cross more easily
than others
▪ hydrophobic vs hydrophilic
▪ Made of phospholipids, proteins & other
macromolecules

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 Phosphate
Phospholipids
▪ Fatty acid tails
◆ hydrophobic
▪ Phosphate group head
Fatty acid
◆ hydrophilic
▪ Arranged as a bilayer

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 ▪ In 1972, S.J. Singer & G. Nicolson
proposed that membrane proteins are
inserted into the phospholipid bilayer

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Membrane is a collage of proteins & other molecules
embedded in the fluid matrix of the lipid bilayer

Glycoprotein Extracellular fluid

Glycolipid

Phospholipids
Cholesterol
Transmembrane
proteins
Peripheral
protein
Cytoplasm Filaments of
cytoskeleton
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 Membrane fat composition varies
▪ Fat composition affects flexibility
◆ membrane must be fluid & flexible
◆ % unsaturated fatty acids in phospholipids

keep membrane less viscous

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 Movement across the
Cell Membrane

AP Biology 2007-2008
 Diffusion
▪ 2nd Law of Thermodynamics
governs biological systems
◆ universe tends towards disorder (entropy)

▪ Diffusion
▪ APMovement
Biology of molecules from high → lowconcentration
 Diffusion
▪ Move from HIGH to LOW concentration
◆ “passive transport”
◆ no energy needed

AP Biology diffusion
 Diffusion across cell membrane
▪ Cell membrane is the boundary between
inside & outside…
◆ separates cell from its environment
cell needs materials in & products or waste out

IN OUT
food waste
carbohydrates OUT ammonia
sugars, proteins salts
amino acids CO2
IN
lipids H2O
salts, O2, H2O products
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 Diffusion through phospholipid bilayer
▪ What molecules can get through directly?
◆ fats & other lipids

lipid
▪ What molecules can
inside cell NOT get through
NH3 salt directly?
◆ polar molecules
▪ H 2O
◆ ions
▪ salts, ammonia
sugar aa H 2O
outside cell ◆ large molecules
▪ starches, proteins
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 Channels through cell membrane
▪ Membrane becomes semi-permeable
with protein channels
◆ specific channels allow specific material
across cell membrane
◆ no energy needed open channel = fast transport
inside cell H 2O aa sugar high

low
NH
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3
salt outside cell
 Active Transport
▪ Cells may need to move molecules against
concentration gradient
◆ shape change transports solute from
one side of membrane to other
◆ protein “pump”
◆ “costs” energy = ATP low
conformational change

ATP

high
AP Biology “The Doorman”
 Getting through cell membrane
▪ Passive Transport
◆ Simple diffusion
▪ diffusion of nonpolar, hydrophobic molecules
 lipids
 high → low concentration gradient
◆ Facilitated transport
▪ diffusion of polar, hydrophilic molecules
▪ through a protein channel
 high → low concentration gradient
▪ Active transport
◆ diffusion against concentration gradient
▪ low → high
◆ uses a protein pump ATP
◆ requires ATP
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 Transport summary
simple
diffusion

facilitated
diffusion

active ATP
transport
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 How about large molecules?
▪ Moving large molecules into & out of cell
◆ through vesicles‫ & الحويصالت‬vacuoles ‫الفجوات‬
◆ endocytosis ‫االبتالع الخلوي‬

◆ exocytosis

AP Biology exocytosis