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Plant cells, like animal cells, possess

a plasma membrane within which
is contained a complex fluid called
the cytosol
Plasma Membrane

Unlike animal cells, Cytosol

the outermost Cellulose Cell Wall
boundary of the plant
cell is the cell wall

The cell wall is composed The cell walls of

principally of the adjacent plant cells
polysaccharide called are shown here
cellulose Adjacent plant cells in a
tissue are held together
by a thin layer called the
middle lamella
The middle lamella is composed of ‘glue-like’
pectic substances
 The cell wall is the outermost layer in plant cells composed mainly of
cellulose. It consists of fibres embedded in a matrix. Chains of the complex
carbohydrate, cellulose, group together to form the fibres. The matrix
consists of pectins (e.g. calcium pectate) and hemicelluloses
PROTOPLAST When a “young” plant cell is formed, it
is surrounded by a primary cell wall
composed largely of cellulose. The
cell wall is secreted by the protoplast
it encloses
This primary cell wall consists of
cellulose fibres arranged at random
within the matrix such that the primary
wall is highly porous

The random arrangement of fibres creates an elastic

wall allowing for stretching as the young cell grows
As the plant cell grows, more cellulose fibres are secreted by the protoplast and
laid down on the inside of the primary wall forming a secondary wall
The cellulose fibres of the secondary
wall are closely packed and laid down
in an orderly way giving considerable
rigidity to the cell wall

ELECTRON
MICROGRAPH

Unlike the cell membrane, the cell wall is porous and freely
permeable to water, ions, sugars and other essential nutrients
In many cases, where adjacent plant cells are held together in
a tissue, there is communication between the cells

Adjacent cells are interconnected by

fine strands of cytoplasm known as
plasmodesmata

These strands of cytoplasm pass through

pores in the cell walls and the middle
lamellae, thus forming minute but
continuous cytoplasmic bridges between
one cell and the next

The cell wall provides mechanical support and

protection for the plant cell
In common with animal cells, typical
plant cells also possess a nucleus,
rough and smooth endoplasmic
reticulum, mitochondria, Golgi
bodies and free ribosomes

Free ribosomes

Rough endoplasmic
reticulum
Nucleus

Smooth endoplasmic Mitochondrion

reticulum

Golgi body

These are the sub-cellular organelles typically

found in EUKARYOTIC CELLS
 Unlike animal cells, the
majority of mature plant
cells possess a characteristic
large central vacuole
Large central
vacuole Free ribosomes

Rough endoplasmic
reticulum
Nucleus

Smooth endoplasmic Mitochondrion

reticulum

Golgi body
The vacuole is bounded The vacuole is a fluid filled sac
by a membrane called containing cell sap. Cell sap is a
the tonoplast concentrated solution of a variety of
chemicals including sugars,
Large central mineral salts and enzymes
vacuole Free ribosomes
Tonoplast
Rough endoplasmic
reticulum
Nucleus

Smooth endoplasmic Mitochondrion

reticulum

Golgi body

The vacuole functions as a storage region

for the cell and plays a major role in
controlling cell shape and volume
 Many plant cells possess
large, oval-shaped organelles
called chloroplasts
Large central
vacuole Free ribosomes
Tonoplast
Rough endoplasmic
reticulum
Nucleus

Smooth endoplasmic Mitochondrion

reticulum

Golgi body
Chloroplast

The chloroplast is the organelle in which

photosynthesis takes place producing sugars and
other organic nutrients for the cell
 The electron micrograph displayed below illustrates many of the
plant cell characteristics discussed
The cell wall, large central vacuole and chloroplasts are clearly visible

Also visible Cell Wall

is the clearly
defined nucleus Nucleus
containing
chromatin Chromatin

The vacuole
in this mature Vacuole
plant cell from
a leaf is large,
and occupies
about 80% of Chloroplasts
the cell volume
The chloroplast, the site of photosynthesis, is surrounded by an envelope of
two membranes and contains a jelly-like matrix called the stroma
Envelope

Stroma
 Located within the stroma is an elaborate network of flattened
membrane-bound discs called thylakoids, in which light-capturing
pigments, such as chlorophyll, are contained
Envelope

Stroma
Thylakoids

Circular
DNA
molecule

Lipid
droplet
Ribosomes

A single granum
Many of the thylakoids
are stacked to form The stroma also contains
grana a circular DNA molecule,
numerous ribosomes and lipid droplets
 Many of the sugar molecules formed during photosynthesis are stored as
starch and, starch grains can be found growing close to the grana

Envelope

Stroma
Thylakoids

Circular
DNA Starch
molecule grain

Lipid
droplet
Ribosomes

A single granum
Many of the thylakoids
are stacked to form The stroma also contains
grana a circular DNA molecule,
numerous ribosomes and lipid droplets
 The photograph shown below details chloroplast structure
as viewed with a transmission electron microscope

Chloroplast envelope Stroma containing

numerous
small ribosomes

Lipid
droplet

Starch
grain A single
granum

Lamellae connecting
Courtesy of Electron Microscopy Unit different grana
The University of Lancaster
 LIGHT During photosynthesis, chlorophyll molecules
Chlorophyll and other
ENERGY absorb and are excited by light
light absorbing pigments
are located within the The series of chemical
thylakoid membranes reactions, leading to the
of the grana synthesis of food, takes
place in the fluid stroma

These reactions
are referred to
as the
LIGHT
INDEPENDENT
REACTIONS

This chemical energy

is used by the
chloroplast to
Excitation of chlorophyll These reactions are referred to as synthesis organic food
triggers a series of the LIGHT DEPENDENT REACTIONS
reactions that take and involve the conversion of absorbed
place on the grana light energy into chemical energy
 Typical plant and animal cells share a number of common features
characteristic of eukaryotic cells
Free Smooth endoplasmic
ribosomes Plasma membrane reticulum
Nucleus Cytosol

Golgi apparatus

Rough endoplasmic
reticulum
Mitochondrion
Golgi apparatus

Free
Smooth endoplasmic Nucleus ribosomes
reticulum
 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ANIMAL AND PLANT CELLS

Cell wall for Large central vacuole

support and for storage of cell sap Microvilli
protection and maintenance of
cell shape and volume

Centrioles;
spindle formation
during
cell division in
animal cells

Chloroplast;
site of
photosynthesis
 RECORD THE DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN THE TWO TYPES OF CELL
 Plant and animal cells are eukaryotic cells

Both types of cell possess characteristic organelles;

• Nucleus
• Rough endoplasmic reticulum
• Smooth endoplasmic reticulum
• Mitochondria
• Golgi apparatus
• Microtubules

Differences between mature plant and animal cells include:

PLANT CELLS ANIMAL CELLS
• Cellulose cell wall • Microvilli
• Large vacuoles that store cell sap • Centrioles
• Chloroplasts in photosynthetic cells
 Acknowledgements

For electron microscopy visit: http://www.biols.susx.ac.uk/Home/Julian_Thorpe

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