Medical biology

first stage
lec 2
Cell structure
By Dr. shatha M.Ali
 Introduction to the cell

 Cells are the fundamental building blocks of life. They are the smallest units of

an organism that can be characterized as living. Humans and many other

organisms are multicellular, i.e., they consist of multiple cells. Unicellular

microorganisms, i.e., organisms consisting of one single cell such as bacteria,

algae, and fungi.

 Cell theory
 Robert Hooke was the first to use the word cell in 1665.

 Leeuwenhoek was the first person to ever observe a cell under a microscope in
1674.

 The cell theory biologists use nowadays dates back to major contributions of
Schwann( animal histologist) and Schleiden(plant histologist) in 1839,
enhanced by contributions of Virchow in 1858.

 Both scientists established the concept of cell theory.

 The principle of the modern form of the cell theory are:

1. All organisms are composed of one or more cells, within which the life processes of metabolism
and heredity occur.

2. Cells arise only by division of a previously existing cells.

3. A cell is the smallest structural and functional unit of living things

 NOTE: Most cells are small. A few are big. For example: The yolk of a chicken egg,
 Parts of a Cell (cell structure)
 Cells have many different functions and come in many shapes and sizes. But all cells
have some parts in common.

 A) Cell membrane

 The cell’s organelles and its intracellular solutes (some inorganic and some organic) are

contained within the cell by its membrane. The membrane has limited and selective

permeability; it maintains the intracellular concentration of electrolytes and biologic

compounds that is distinctly different from that of the extracellular fluid.

 It is a biological membrane that separates the interior of all cells from the outside
environment (the extracellular space) and enclosed the cytoplasm and the nucleus.

 It consist of lipids, proteins and carbohydrates

 The major lipids are phospholipid which is amphipathic

 contain both hydrophobic and hydrophilic region.

 The lipid bi-layer portion of a bacterial cell membrane is composed primarily of

phospholipids, while In eukaryotic cells, the lipid bi-layer is about 65% phospholipids,
25% sterols (cholesterol in animals, phytosterols in plants, ergosterol in fungi, etc.) and
10% other types of lipids.
The proteins associated with cell membranes are:

I. Integral proteins (intrinsic proteins) extend into and sometimes all the way
through the membrane, and cannot readily be removed without causing
structural damage.

II. peripheral proteins (extrinsic proteins) sit on the membrane surface (facing
either the inside or the outside of the cell) and can be easily removed.

❖ The importance of the these transmembrane proteins, allow molecules that

couldn’t enter the cell otherwise to pass through by forming channels, pores or
gates. In this way, the cell controls the flow of these molecules as they enter
and exit.
 Carbohydrates

 Carbohydrates are the third major component of plasma membranes. In

general, they are found on the outside surface of cells and are bound either to
proteins (forming glycoproteins) or to lipids (forming glycolipids).

 Glycoproteins play a role in the interactions between cells, including cell

adhesion, the process by which cells attach to each other.

 Phospholipid molecules

 Are shaped with a head an tails region. The head section of the molecule likes
water( hydrophilic) while the tails doesn't (hydrophobic).

 The two surfaces of molecules create the lipid bilayer.

 Function of plasma membrane

1) A Physical Barrier ( physical protection)

➢ The plasma membrane surrounds all cells and physically separates the
cytoplasm, which is the material that makes up the cell, from the extracellular
fluid outside the cell. This protects all the components of the cell from the
outside environment and allows separate activities to occur inside and outside
the cell.
2) Selective Permeability

➢ Plasma membranes are selectively permeable (or semi-permeable), meaning

that only certain molecules can pass through them. Water, oxygen, and carbon
dioxide can easily travel through the membrane. Generally, ions (e.g. sodium,
potassium) and polar molecules cannot pass through the membrane; they must
go through specific channels or pores in the membrane instead of freely
diffusing through. This way, the membrane can control the rate at which
certain molecules can enter and exit the cell.
3) Provides structural support to the cell.

4) Play a role in cell communication.

 2)Cytoplasm

 Cytoplasm is the jelly-like substance present between the cell membrane and
the nucleus.

 It is mainly composed of water, salts, and proteins. In eukaryotic cells, the

cytoplasm includes all the material inside the cell and outside of the nucleus.
 3) Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)

 consists of a network of double- membrane canals running through the

cytoplasm.

 There are two types of ER smooth and rough ER (with & without ribosomes).

❖ Rough ER lies immediately adjacent to the cell nucleus, and its membrane is
continuous with the outer membrane of the nuclear envelope.

❖ Smooth ER, by contrast, is not associated with ribosomes, and its functions
differ. The smooth ER is involved in the synthesis of lipids, including
cholesterol and phospholipids, which are used in the production of new cellular
membrane.
 4) Ribosomes
 particles consisted of proteins(35%) and ribosomal RNA
 (rRNA) 65%
 function = protein synthesis
 The ribosome consists of a large and small subunits.
 5) Lysosome

 Lysosomes are membrane-enclosed organelles that contain an array of

enzymes capable of breaking down all types of biological polymers- proteins,
nucleic acid, carbohydrates and lipids.

 It acts as digestive system of the cell, serving both to degrade material taken up
from outside the cell in a process called heterophagy and to digest old cellular
organelles as debris of the cell itself in a process called autophagy.

 When the cells get old, lysosomes autolysis the cell and therefore known as
suicide bags.