CELL

Aabid Hussain
Exceptions to Cell Theory

• Viruses do not possess a cellular machinery even though are considered as organisms.
• The prokaryotic cells lack nuclear membrane around their genetic material.
• RBCs and sieve tubes lack nucleus and major cell organelles still these survive for
considerable time.
• Certain fungi and algae are made up of undivided mass of protoplasm in which
numerous nuclei lie scattered e.g. Rhizopus (fungus) and Vaucheria (alga).

Glycocalyx
• It is the outermost layer of cell envelope
which is protective in nature.
• It can be a loose sheath called slime
layer in some bacteria while in the form
of a hard covering called capsule in
others.
• Slime layer is composed of
glycoproteins and is loosely attached to
the cell wall.
• Capsule is made up of polysaccharides
and is firmly attached to the bacterial
cell wall.
Cell envelope
Cell wall Plasma membrane
• In all eubacteria and cyanobacteria, cell wall is • It is made up of
composed of peptidoglycan or murein.
phospholipid bilayer and
• Peptidoglycan is composed of repeating framework of
long glycan strands (N-acetyl muramic acid and N- proteins (various types).
acetyl glucosamine) which are cross linked by short • In general cholesterol is
peptide chains. absent but in few bacteria
• All prokaryotes have a cell wall surrounding the cell instead of cholesterol,
membrane except in Mycoplasma.
pentacyclic sterols called
hapnoids are present.
• Hapnoids stabilise the
membrane.
 Membranous structures

Mesosomes Chromatophores

• Membranous extensions into the cytoplasm called chromatophores,

contain pigments.

• Chromatophores (AKA Thylakoid )may be lamellar, tubular or vesicular

in shape.

• In cyanobacteria, thylakoid membranes contain, chlorophyll a and

carotenoids.

• In purple bacteria the thylakoid membranes contain photosynthetic

pigments-bacterio-viridin (bacteriophaeophytin), bacteriochlorophyll,
and carotenoids.

• In nitrifying bacteria these membranes may form aggregates of oval

flattened or tubular vesicles which are attached to the plasma
membrane and help in increasing the surface area for metabolic
activities.
The nucleus and its
envelope
The endomembrane system regulates protein traffic and performs
metabolic functions in the cell