Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience

05/October/2020

Dr Clemens 4BBY1030 Cell Biology & Neuroscience

Kiecker
Lecture 2

Neuroscience Education
Cell types and subcellular structures
Learning outcomes

By the end of this lecture you should be able to:

• Describe the concept of ‘the cell’

• Classify different types of cells: prokaryotes, eukaryotes, bacteria, archaea, fungi,

plants, animals

• Outline the basic organisation of eukaryotic cells and give a brief description of the
major features and organelles, and the specialised cellular processes that take place
in them: plasma membrane, nucleus, rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum,
Golgi apparatus, lysosomes and peroxisomes, mitochondria and chloroplasts,
cytosol, cytoskeleton

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Chapter 1

The concept of the cell

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The cell theory
• Our bodies are made up of approx. 37 trillion cells

Robert Hooke (1635-1703): microscope

Matthias Jakob Schleiden (1804-1881), Theodor Schwann

(1810-82), Rudolf Virchow (1821-1902):

Cell theory

1. All living organisms are made up of one or more cells

2. The cell is the basic unit of life
3. Cells arise from existing cells by division

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True or false?

➢ All cells are surrounded by a plasma membrane ✓

➢ All cells are surrounded by a cell wall ✗

➢ All cells contain genetic material in the form of DNA ✓✗

➢ All cells contain DNA in a nucleus ✗

➢ All cells perform metabolism ✓

➢ All cells can move ✗

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Chapter 2

Types of cells

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 Prokaryotes versus eukaryotes
Prokaryotes: no nucleus (Greek pro- karyon = ‘before nucleus’), always single-cellular

a) Bacteria (formerly eubacteria) including cyanobacteria (photosynthetic, formerly known as blue-green

algae)
b) Archaea (formerly archaebacteria): many species live in extreme environments (halophiles = high salt
concentrations, thermoacidophiles = hot sulfur springs etc.)

Eurkaryotes: nucleus (Greek eu- = ‘true’), single or multi-cellular

• Plants (including algae)

• Animals
• Fungi (molds, yeasts, mushrooms)
• Protozoans

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Evolution of cells

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Chapter 3

Cellular organisation, organelles and

subcellular structures

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The cell (plasma) membrane
Bilayer (double layer) of phospholipids, cholesterol
and embedded transmembrane proteins

Phospholipids = amphipathic = hydrophilic

phosphate group + hydrophobic lipid tails

Dynamic, lipid rafts

Four main roles:

1. Barrier
2. Communication
3. Import and export
4. Electrical capacitor

More on this in Lectures 6 and 7 and on 4BBY1013

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The cytoskeleton
Network of protein fibres:

1. Actin filaments
2. Intermediate filaments
3. Microtubules

Main roles:

• Maintenance of shape, stability

• Adaptation of shape
• Cell division
• Motility
• Movement of particles within cells

More on this in Lecture 4

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The cytoplasm (cytosol)
Aequeous solution of defined pH (approx. 7.2) and ion composition, but also contains:

• A high concentration of proteins (20-30% metabolic enzymes, intracellular messengers

etc.)

• tRNAs

• Free ribosomes

• Inclusion bodies (e.g. glycogen granules)

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The nucleus
• Surrounded by two layers of membrane (two
lipid double layers) → nuclear envelope

• Contains nucleoplasm

• Contains chromosomal DNA + packaging

proteins (histones) + gene regulatory proteins

• Site of RNA synthesis and processing (RNA

splicing)

• Nucleolus: site of ribosome synthesis (and signal

recognition particle), can capture gene
regulatory proteins (nucleolar detention)

More on this on 4BBY1013 and 4BBY1070

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Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
• Network of interconnected membrane vesicles
(cisternae), continuous with the outer nuclear
rER sER membrane

• Rough ER (rER): synthesis of secreted and

transmembrane proteins

• More on this in L16 and on 4BBY1013

• Smooth ER (sER): synthesis of lipids and steroid

hormones, detoxification (liver), release of
glucose from the liver

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Golgi apparatus/complex
• Stack of flattened membrane vesicles

• Modification of proteins destined for secretion

and transmembrane proteins

• rER → cis Golgi → trans Golgi → secretory

vesicles

More on this in L16

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Mitochondria
• Often oval or sausage-shaped, 0.5-1 x 1-2 mm
• Can make up to 25% of the cytoplasm
• Double membrane: inner membrane folded into
cristae (high transmembrane protein content)
• Contains circular DNA (mtDNA) and ribosomes in
matrix
• Alternative genetic code
Functions:
1. Respiration/oxidative phosphorylation (electron
transport chain)
2. Citric acid (Krebs) cycle
3. Heat production
4. Ca2+ storage
5. Programmed cell death (apoptosis)
• Mitochondrial disorders: mutations in mtDNA (e.g.
Kearns-Sayre syndrome), defects in nuclear genes
that encode mitochondrial proteins (e.g. hereditary
spastic paraplegia)

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Lysosomes
• Membrane-bound organelles found in animal
cells

• Degrade unwanted proteins and particles taken

up by the cell, and membranes and organelles
that are no longer needed

• Acidic pH = 4.5-5 → optimal environment for

degradative enzymes

• Degradation of pathogens by macrophages

More on this in L21

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Peroxisomes
• Degrade fatty acids and toxic compounds

• Fatty acid oxidation produces precursors for

biosynthetic pathways

• Oxidation produces H2O2 (corrosive)

The enzyme catalase neutralizes H2O2:

2 H2O2 → 2 H2O + O2

Detoxification of ethanol in the liver:

C2H5OH + H2O2 → CH3CHO + 2 H2O

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Recommended reading

Pollard, Earnshaw, Lippincott-Schwartz, Johnson, Pollard (2017) Cell Biology. 3rd ed. Elsevier, PA.

Please note that the content of this book is broader than the learning outcomes of this module. Thus, do not
panic – we do not expect you to study this book from the first to the last page. You should rather use it to
supplement your learning and as a resource if you have a question or if you find a particular topic interesting
and would like to learn a little bit more about it.

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Thank you for your attention
Clemens.Kiecker@kcl.ac.uk

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