Cells
Cells
Cells
Cell Theory
The study of cell started about 300 years ago with the help of one powerful instrument called the
‘microscope’ invented by Hans and Zacharias Janssen, the cell has begun to be known to humans. The
development and refinement of magnifying lenses and light microscopes made the observation and
description of microscopic organisms and living cells possible.
Robert Hooke – An English Scientist who coined the term ‘cell’. He observed that a cork has
small regular boxes in it that he called “cells.” He is the inventor of the compound microscope.
Anton van Leeuwenhoek “Father of Ancient Microbiology” - He’s a Dutch business man and
scientist who was the first to see bacteria and protists. He described cells in a drop of pond water
that he called “animalcules”.
Matthias Schleiden – A German botanist who concluded that all plant tissues are composed of
cells.
Theodor Schwann – A German Zoologist. He concluded that all animal tissues are composed of
cells. He is one the proponents of the Cell Theory.
Rudolph Virchow – A German Scientist who discovered that all cells came from pre-existing cells.
He completed the cell theory by expounding his famous “omnis cellula e cellula” which means
“cells develop from pre-existing cells.” According to Schwann, 1.) The cell is the unit of structure,
physiology, and organization in living things. 2.) The cell retains a dual existence as a distinct
entity and a building block in the construction of organisms. 3.) Cells form by free-cell formation,
similar to the formation of crystals (Spontaneous Generation).
Robert Brown – English botanist who discovered the nucleus in plant cells (orchid).
Hans and Zacharias Janssen – Credited for the production of lenses.
Differences of Plant and Animal Cell
Plant Cell Animal Cell
3. Covered by a thick cell wall 3. No Cell wall. Only covered by a thin cell
membrane.
8. Cell division occurs by cell plate 8. Cell division occurs by furrow in spite of
cell plate
9. Have 9 parts composed of; Cell 9. Only have 7 parts which are; Cell
membrane, cell wall, chloroplasts, membrane, chromosomes, cytoplasm,
chromosomes, cytoplasm, mitochondria, mitochondria, nuclear membrane,
nuclear membrane, nucleus, and nucleus, and vacuoles
vacuoles
Eukaryotic Cells
Cytoplasmic Organelles
By definition, organelles are the membrane-bound structures in a cell. The nucleus is an example. Other
organelles are located in the cytoplasm such as mitochondria, chloroplasts, endoplasmic
reticulum, Golgi apparatus, peroxisomes, lysosomes, vacuoles and glyoxisomes.
Mitochondria
- An eukaryotic cell contains many mitochondria, occupying up to a quarter of the cytoplasmic
volume. The size of a mitochondrion is about 1.5-2 μm in length, 0.5-1 μm in diameter,
approximately the same as E. coli. It has two membranes: outer membrane and inner
membrane. Mitochondria also have their own DNA (represented as mtDNA), which encodes
some of the proteins and RNAs in mitochondria. However, most proteins operating in
mitochondria still originate from nuclear DNA. The major role of mitochondria is to
produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which carries high energy to power most cellular
processes. Such energy is stored in the phosphoanhydride bonds of ATP. During ATP hydrolysis,
the bond is broken, releasing 7.3 kcal/mole of energy. Many cellular processes can utilize the
released energy by coupling with the ATP hydrolysis.
Chloroplasts
- Like mitochondria, a chloroplast also contains both outer and inner membranes on its surface.
Inside the chloroplast, there are many thylakoids, each is enclosed by a
membrane. Chlorophylls are located on the thylakoid membrane to absorb light for
photosynthesis.
Endoplasmic reticulum
- Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) can be divided into rough ER and smooth ER. The major role of
rough ER is to process the newly synthesized peptides from ribosomes. Therefore, the surface of
rough ER is usually associated with ribosomes and thus appears "rough". Smooth ER is involved
in the synthesis and metabolism of lipids. Hepatocytes are abundant in smooth ER.
Golgi apparatus
- Golgi apparatus is a major site for sorting and modifications of proteins and lipids. After proteins
are sorted at rough ER, they are enclosed in transport vesicles and carried to the Golgi
apparatus. Some proteins could be modified into glycoproteins and then transported to other
destinations.
Peroxisomes
- Peroxisomes contain enzymes for degrading amino acids and fatty acids. These reactions
produce harmful hydrogen peroxide. Hence, peroxisomes also contain catalase to convert
hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen
Lysosomes
- The major function of lysosomes is to degrade various macromolecules in the cell. They
contain nuclease for degrading DNA and RNA, protease for degrading proteins and other
enzymes for degrading polysacchrides and lipids. Lysosomes exist only in animal cells. Although
plant cells do not have lysosomes, their vacuoles are also capable of degrading macromolecules.
Vacuoles
- Vacuoles store small molecules such as water, ions, sucrose and amino acids. They can also hold
waste products which will be slowly degraded. They typically occupy more than 30% of the cell
volume, but may expand up to 90%.
Glyoxisomes
- Glyoxisomes are found mainly in plant seeds. Their major function is to convert fatty acids into
acetyl CoA for the glyoxylate cycle where two acetyl-CoA molecules are converted to a 4-carbon
dicarboxylic acid. Peroxisomes and glyoxisomes are also called microbodies.