EXERCISE 4

Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells

I. INTRODUCTION

In this activity, you will observe and describe representative cells from the two domains of
life – Bacteria and Eukarya. On behalf of Domain Archaea, the various bacterial cells that you will
observe here will represent the type of cells described as prokaryotic. These cells lack the various
organelles we usually associate with a typical cell. Nevertheless, it was a prokaryotic cell that is
believed to be the ancestor of all modern cells that are extant today – including the eukaryotic cells
that make up the bodies of multicellular life forms like plants and humans, who for all intensive terms
and purposes here, are considered as animals.
Eukaryotic cells represent much more than just the cells found in plants and animals. There
might even be more species of unicellular eukaryotes, if not as much, than multicellular plants,
animals, and fungi. These unicellular eukaryotes were once placed in a kingdom fairly named Protista
– a kingdom consisting of unicellular and multicellular eukaryotes which biologists have divided into
plant-like algae and animal-like protozoa.
Despite the overwhelming types of cells that we will encounter here, remembering that they
can either be classified as prokaryotic or eukaryotic (and eukaryotic cells can either be animal or
plant cells) will keep us rooted onto the key characteristics that really define these cells.

II. MATERIALS

Cocci bacteria (prepared slide) Hydrilla sprigs Glass slides

Bacilli bacteria (prepared slide) Paramecium (prepared slide) Cover slips
Spirilli bacteria (prepared slide) Amoeba (prepared slide) Toothpick
Oscillatoria (prepared slide) Euglena (prepared slide) Wire loop
Nostoc (pepared slide) Volvox (prepared slide) Incinerator
Anabaena (prepared slide) Light microscope Eyepiece micrometer
Yeast culture Methylene blue Safranin
Phosphate buffer saline (PBS)

III. PROCEDURE

Gathering Important Information About the Specimens

1. Before observing any of the specimens listed above, it is recommended that you research on
the following aspects about each one of them:
a. are they prokaryotic or eukaryotic
b. what are their typical cellular sizes
c. are they autotrophic or heterotrophic
i. if they are autotrophs, are they photoautotrophic or chemoautotrophic
ii. if they are heterotrophic, how do they find and what do they consume for food
d. are they aerobic or anaerobic
e. what cellular structures or processes are novel or unique to them
f. how long has it been since they have first evolved
g. to which of the other specimens listed here are they most closely related to
h. how do they reproduce more of themselves, and
i. what are their significant impacts to humans
Documentation of the Specimens in Prepared Slides
1. With the eyepiece micrometer that you have previously calibrated, and the same microscope
that you worked with for this calibration, draw and indicate the cellular sizes (in µm) of all of
the specimens in the prepared slides.
2. Group your drawings into “Prokaryotic Cells” and “Eukaryotic Cells”. Annotate and label all
observable cellular structures.

Preparing Fresh Mounts of Specimen

Hydrilla Leaf Cells
1. With forceps, remove a single young leaf of Hydrilla. Mount it in a drop of water and cover
with a cover slip.
2. Examine under 100x magnification.
3. Add ~1 drop of safranin with a dropper to one edge of the cover slip, then draw the stain
under the cover slip by touching a piece of tissue paper to the opposite side of the cover slip.
4. Draw at least three adjacent cells and label the parts. With the aid of your eyepiece
micrometer, include a size indicator (in µm) in your drawing.

Cheek Cells
1. Scrape the inside of your cheek with the flat end of a toothpick.
2. Add 1 drop of methylene blue on a glass slide and stir the scraped epithelial cells in the stain.
3. Examine the preparation under 100x magnification.
4. Draw at least three cells and label the parts. Include a size indicator (in µm) in your drawing.

Yeast Cells
You will be working in the isolation room for the preparation of the fresh mount of yeast cells.
The yeast culture is stored inside a Petri plate which you will need to open in order to get a small
sample of yeast from the growing yeast colonies. A heat-sterilized wire loop will be used to
transfer the yeast cells from a growing yeast colony onto your glass slide (Figure 4.1).

2 Put a drop of PBS on

your slide using the
sterilized loop.

1 Sterilize wire
loop using
incinerator for 5
seconds or until
metal glows
orange.
7 Stain by adding a
drop of 0.01%
methylene blue. Cover
with a cover slip.
3 Sterilize wire
loop again. Wait
for 5 seconds to 4 Carefully open Petri plate and
cool loop before touch the tip of the loop onto a
proceeding to yeast colony. Put the cover back
next step. on the plate. DO NOT TAKE TOO
LONG IN THIS STEP.
6 Air dry the yeast cell
suspension to mount them on the
slide.
5 Mix the yeast cells
from the tip of the loop into
the drop of PBS on your slide.
Several gentle swirling motions
will suffice.

Figure 4.1 Transferring yeast cells from the yeast culture onto the glass slide for microscopy.
Source: Brown, A and Smith, H. 2015. Benson’s Microbiological Applications: Laboratory Manual in General Microbiology. 13 th ed.
McGraw Hill Education. (p. 77, 88)
 1. Examine the preparation under OIO.
2. Draw at least three cells and label the parts. Include a size indicator (in µm) in your drawing.

Questions

1. Provide the data asked for in “Gathering Important Information About the Specimens” next to
your drawing of each specimen.
2. Draw a diagram of a typical prokaryotic and a typical eukaryotic cell with all the notable parts
labelled.
3. Explain the theory on how the mitochondrion and chloroplast found their ways into eukaryotic
cells. What are the evidences of this theory?
4. What are LUCA and LECA? Draw a chart showing their relationship to the current forms of life
on Earth.
5. The young Earth’s atmosphere did not have oxygen in it. Discuss how this important gas has
become 21% of the current Earth’s atmosphere, what its effects were to the then-anaerobic
forms of life, and how living things have taken advantage of its presence in the atmosphere.