Topic 1

Cell biology
Essential idea: The evolution of multicellular organisms allowed cell specialization and cell replacement
Understandings:
■ According to the cell theory, living organisms are composed of cells
■ Organisms consisting of only one cell carry out all the functions of life in that cell
■ Surface area to volume ratio is important in the limitation of cell size
■ Multicellular organisms have properties that emerge from the interaction of their cellular components
■ Specialised tissues can develop by cell differentiation in multicellular organisms
■ Differentiation involves the expression of some genes and not others in a cell’s genome
■ The capacity of stem cells to divide and differentiate along different pathways is necessary in embryonic development
and also makes stem cells suitable for therapeutic uses
Applications:
■ Questioning the cell theory using atypical examples, including striated muscle, giant algae and aseptate fungal hyphae
■ Investigation of functions of life in Paramecium and one named photosynthetic unicellular organism
■ Use of stem cells to treat Stargardt’s disease and one other named condition
■ Ethics of the therapeutic use of stem cells from specially created embryos, from the umbilical cord blood of a newborn
baby and from an adult’s own tissues
Skills:
■ Use of a light microscope to investigate the structure of cells and tissues, with drawing of cells
■ Calculation of the magnification of drawings and the actual size of structures and ultrastructures shown in drawings or
micrographs
1.Cell Theory
Watch the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OpBylwH9DU

1: List the 3 parts of cell theory

2: Describe the development of
the theory
3: Explain how the evidence for
cell theory was gathered

https://www.science-of-aging.com/ti
melines/cell-history-timeline-detail.ph
p
1.1 Introduction to cells
Cell theory
• All organisms are composed of one
or more cells
• Studies through microscope

• Cells are the smallest units of life

• All organisms found so far all consists of
cells

• All cells come from pre-existing cells

• Experiments performed by Pasteur
 Discuss how these cells challenge Cell Theory?
Striated muscle cells
● Their cells are very large (>300 mm long), formed by fusing cells
● They have many nuclei but a single plasma membrane

Aseptate fungal hyphae

● Fungi may have filaments called hyphae, separated internally by walls call septa
● Some fungi are not partitioned and have continuous cytoplasm and many nuclei

Giant algae
● Some species grow very large (>7cm) but only have a single nucleus

● Discuss in groups using the worksheet

 Trends and Exceptions: Challenges to Cell Theory
● The cell theory states that cells are the smallest unit of life and that organisms are made of cells.
Both skeletal muscle cells and fungal hyphae are made from elongated cytoplasm with more than
one nucleus. These structures are a problem for cell theory because they are not strictly made of
cells.
● Cell theory states that organisms are made of cells. Acetabularium is a whole organism and it is
larger than a cell. This disturbs the cell theory because it seems to break the rule that all organisms
are made of cells by not itself being made of cells.
● There is some evidence that organic molecules could form in the 'primordial soup' of the early
Earth's atmosphere. Some of these molecules, like RNA or enzymes are thought to be capable of
reproducing themselves. Other molecules have properties similar to parts of a membrane. They
could form the main parts of a cell.
● This is a question which cannot be answered fully by science. It is not possible to observe the
process happening, nor to recreate accurately the conditions of the early earth's atmosphere.
●
●
Functions of life
All living things share 7 basic characteristics:
• Response: Living things show movement, either externally or
internally. Living things can respond to and interact with the environment
• Reproduction: Living things produce offspring, either sexually or asexually
• Growth: Living things can grow or change size / shape
• Metabolism: Living things use substances from the environment to make
energy
• Excretion: Living things exhibit the removal of wastes
• Nutrition: Living things exchange materials and gases with the environment
• Homeostasis: Keeping a constant inner environment
Surface area to volume ratio
Differentiation – expression of some genes
Specialized tissue from cell differentiation
 Cell DIfferentiation
• Differentiation is the process during development whereby newly formed cells become
more specialised and distinct from one another as they mature.
• In humans, 220 distinct cell types have been recognised.

HOW?
 Differentiation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgT5rUQ9EmQ&feature=youtu.be
 Making a human
If you want to be bigger than an Amoeba you really have to be multicellular.
What happens as groups of cells grow? Do any new properties emerge?
 Answer the questions from the videos

1. Name four different types of specialist cells which a single celled human zygote can
differentiate into.
2. What makes them different from each other?
3. Suggest a property of one of these groups of specialist cells which could not exist if
there were not a large number of cells living together?
4. It is said that thoughts we have in our brains is an emergent property. Explain why
this is 'emergent'
Stem cells and therapeutic uses
Stem cells and Stargardt’s disease
Other uses of stem cells - investigate!
Ethics of the use of stem cells
Stem cell from bone marrow in rat
Nerve cell
Blood cells