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ISSUE 13
jANUARY 2011
bRiNgiNg CUTTiNg-EDgE SCiENCE iNTo THE CLASSRooM
THE CELL
What are cells or?How do cells divide, developand communicate?What are stem cells andwhy are they important?What happens when cells die?
Insiderknowledge
Revealing the secrets o your cells
© D a v i d S G o o d s e l l , 2 0 0 0
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F R E E
JANUARY 2011 •
3
jn us as we explre the uldn lck le.
The cell is the smallest unit o lie. Somesimple organisms consist o just one cell,whereas more complex beasts, like us, havevast numbers o them. Humans are amongthe organisms built up rom eukaryoticcells, which have their DNA parcelledup in a nucleus, and lots o subcellularcompartments, called organelles. Prokaryoticorganisms (such as bacteria) are simpler:cells still with DNA, but having no nucleusor membrane-bound structures. The vastmajority o these are unicellular, while mosteukaryotic organisms are multicellular.The intricately organised insides oeukaryotic cells allow them to have dierentthings happening in dierent compartments.Keeping a cell going depends on gettingthe right molecules to the right place at theright time. Having distinct spaces does halthe job, but it also requires sophisticatedmachinery to ensure the right things getinto each section. Only material the cell hasnished with, or example, can be allowedinto a lysosome, where powerul enzymesare poised to break down the material intosmaller molecules.Cell theory was put orward in the1830s, soon ater the cell nucleus was rstidentied in eukaryotes. It recognised thatliving things are made o cells, that cellsare the basic units o lie, and that newcells are created by old ones dividing intotwo. Viruses – simple entities o genes andprotein – need to get into a cell and hijack itscytoplasmic machinery to copy themselves.We describe these as acellular, and they arenot considered to be living.In this issue, we’ll be ocusing on animalcells – how they reproduce, grow, move,communicate and die. So join us to explorewhat we know – as well as what we still don’tunderstand – about the cells that are thebasis o all o us.
intrducn the cell
microflaments
– smallerthan mcrtuules, these aremade rm repeatn actnsuunts. Respnsle rcell mvement and chanesn shape, and make musclecntractn pssle. Part the cytskeletn
nuclear pores
– apsn the nuclear envelpethat allw sustancest mve n and ut the nucleus
nuclear envelope
–dule memrane thatseparates the cntents the nucleus rm thecytplasm
extracellular matrix
– themateral n etween cells thathlds tssues tether, usuallymade scaldn prtenssuch as cllaen
ribosomes
– mlecular machnes,ult rm RNA and prten, thatmake new prtens. They are undn the cytplasm and und t theruh endplasmc retculum
lysosomes
– memrane-undranelles that are the cell’s rushdspsal and recycln unts; cntanhydrlytc enzymes
centrioles
– a par ranelles that ransesmcrtuules nt spndlesn whch chrmsmesare separated whencells dvde
vacuoles
– nternal as,surrunded y a memrane,whch cells use r strae d r waste
cytoplasm
– everythn nthe cell utsde the nucleus;a vscus fud cntannprtens, ther rancand nranc mlecules,memranes and ranelles
plasma membrane
– a phsphlpdlayer that cntans chlesterland prtens. it surrunds the cell andenales t t cmmuncate wth tsnehurs and detect and respndt chanes n the envrnment
mitochondria (singular:mitochondrion)
– rd-shapeddes n the cytplasm thatsupply chemcal enery t therest the cell
Golgi apparatus
–ne the wndruslycmplex memranesystems n the cytplasm,whch mdes, packaesand drects newly madeprtens t where theyare needed
nucleolus
– part thenucleus that prducesrsmes
endoplasmic reticulum(ER)
– an extensve netwrk memranes. Ruh ER sstudded wth rsmes ands a ste where prtens aremade, mded and prcessedr shppn. The rles smth ER nclude lpd andsterd synthess and drudetxcatn
microtubules
– small, tuular assemles prten, made rm repeatn tuuln suunts,whch help mantan the cell’s nternal structureand mve ranelles and cytplasm usnmlecular mtrs. Part the cytskeletn
nucleus
– the nrmatn centre the eukarytc cell, where theDNA s stred, replcated andcped nt RNA (transcred)
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Big Picture on the Cell
How can cells grow and develop to form complex creatures? In this issue of our free, post-16 educational resource we explore the secrets of the cell.
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