GENERAL BIOLOGY

CELLS AND PARTS

Introduction to the Cell • He described the cells as tiny boxes or a

CYTOLOGY - It is the study of CELL
MICROSCOPES
 magnification: refers to the microscope’s power
to increase an object’s apparent size
 resolution: refers to the microscope’s power to
show detail clearly
Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)
 microscopy technique in which a beam of
electrons is transmitted through a specimen
to form an image.
- 2d version
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
 electron microscope that produces images of
a sample by scanning the surface with a
focused beam of electrons
- 3d version
Did You Know?
 The average human being is composed of
around 100 Trillion individual cells!!!
 It would take as many as 50 cells to cover
the area of a dot on the letter “i”
 What cell type that can no longer regenerate
once used up?
- NEURON
 What type of cell can carry Oxygen and
supplies it through the body?
- RBC
 What is the smallest cell in nature?
- SAR11
 What is the biggest cell in nature?
- OSTRICH’S EGG
 CELL
 It is considered as a “DYNAMIC
MACHINE.”
 The smallest unit and the building block of
all living things.
The Cell Theory
honeycomb
• He thought that cells only existed in plants and
fungi
Anton van Leeuwenhoek [ 1673 ]
• Used a handmade microscope to observe
pond scum & discovered single-celled
organisms
• He called them “animalcules”
• He also observed blood cells from fish,
birds,
frogs, dogs, and humans
• Therefore, it was known that cells are found
in
animals as well as plants
Robert Brown [ 1827-33 ]
• noticed that pollen grains in water jiggled around
called “Brownian motion”
• discovered Robert Brown the nucleus
Matthias Schleiden [ 1838 ]
• A botanist who concluded that all plants are
made of cells.
Theodor Schwann [ 1839 ]
• zoologist who concluded that all animals are
made of cells.
Rudolph Virchow [ 1855 ]
• physician who did research on cancer cells
• concluded ;
“0mnis cellula e cellula”
“All cells are from other pre-existing cells.”
The 3 Basic Components of the Cell Theory :
1) All organisms are composed of one or more cells.
(Schleiden & Schwann)(1838-39)
2) The cell is the basic unit of life in all living
things. (Schleiden & Schwann)(1838-39)
3) All cells are produced by the division of
preexisting cells. (Virchow)(1858)

Discovery of Cells How Has The Cell Theory Been Used?

Robert Hooke [ 1665 ]
• 1665- English Scientist , discovered cells
while looking at a thin slice of cork.
 The basic discovered truths about cells, listed in
the Cell Theory, are the basis for things such as:
Disease/Health/Medical Research and Cures (AIDS,
Cancer, Vaccines, Cloning, Stem Cell Research, etc.)
 GENERAL BIOLOGY
CELLS AND PARTS
 STEM CELL RESEARCH
 The research started simple question “How can
the various parts of the human body began
forming and how may it be possible to replicate
the processes.
Cell Diversity
 Size
 Biggest cell – ostrich egg
 Longest cell – girrafe’s neuron
 Smallest cell – bacterium
 Shape
 Cells differ widely in shape.
 Most cells are roughly cuboidal or spherical.
 Internal Organization
 Nucleus : contains DNA
 Organelle : the cell components
Eukaryotes vs. Prokaryotes
 Eukaryotes : cells that contain a nucleus and
membrane-bound organelles
 Eukaryotes (animals, plants, fungi, protists)
 Prokaryotes : cells that lack nuclei and
membrane-bound organelles
 Prokaryotes (bacteria) differ greatly in structure.
The Parts of the Cell
 Each living cell carries out the tasks of taking
food, transforming food into energy, getting rid
of wastes, and reproducing.
 Most eukaryotic cells have three main
components:
• Cell Membrane
• Cytoplasm
• Nucleus
1) CELL MEMBRANE
 Structure: phospholipid bilayer with proteins that
function as channels, markers, and receptors.
- contains cholesterol which provides rigidity
 Function: selectively permeable boundary
between the cell and the external
environment.
2) NUCLEUS
 Structure: the nucleus is a sphere that contains
another sphere called a nucleolus.
 Function: - storage center of cell’s DNA
- manages cell functions.
3) CELL WALL
 Structure: rigid wall made up of cellulose,
proteins, and carbohydrates
 Function: boundary around the plant cell outside
of the cell membrane that provides structure and
support
4) CYTOPLASM
 Structure: gelatin-like fluid that lies inside the
cell membrane
 Function: - contains salts, minerals -
- surrounds the organelles
5) CYTOSKELETON
 Structure: a network of thin, fibrous elements
made up of microtubules (hollow tubes) and
microfilaments (threads made of actin)
 Function: -acts as a support system for organelles
-maintains cell shape
6) RIBOSOMES
 Structure: consist of two subunits
 Function: location of protein synthesis
7) ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM
 Structure: system of membranous tubules and
sacs
 Function: intercellular highway (a path along
which molecules move from one part of the cell
to another)
TWO TYPES:
a) Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum (rER)
- prominent in cells that make large amounts
of proteins to be exported from the cell .
- Covered with ribosomes
b) Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum (sER)
- involved in the synthesis of lipids and
breakdown of toxic substances
- Not covered with ribosomes
8) GOLGI APPARATUS
 Structure: stacked flat sacs
 Function: receives proteins from the rER and
distributes them to other organelles
(receiving, processing, packaging, and shipping)
9) MITOCHONDRIA
 Structure: folded membrane within an outer
membrane
 Function: converts energy stored in food into
usable energy for work
10) LYSOSOMES
 Structure: spherical organelles that contain
hydrolytic enzymes within single membranes
 Function: breaks down food particles, invading
objects, or worn out cell parts
11) PEROXISOMES
 GENERAL BIOLOGY
CELLS AND PARTS
 Structure: spherical organelles that contain
enzymes within single membranes
 Function: Degrade hydrogen peroxide, a toxic
compound that can be produced during
metabolism.

12) CILIA AND FLAGELLA

 Structure: hair-like organelles that extend
from the surface of cells
- large numbers - CILIA
- less numerous and longer - FLAGELLA
 Function: cell motility

13) BASAL BODIES

 Structurally identical to a centriole
 Function : anchors the cilium and flagellum

14) CENTRIOLES
 Structure: composed of nine sets of triplet
microtubules arranged in a ring
• Exist in pairs
 Function: centrioles play a major role in cell
division (mitosis)

15) VACUOLES
 Structure: a sac of fluid surrounded by a
membrane
 Function: temporary stores wastes, nutrients,
and water

16) PLASTIDS
 There are three types of plastids in plant cells:
a) Chloroplasts : photosynthesis
b) Chromoplasts : synthesize and store
pigments
c) Leucoplasts: store food such as starches,
proteins, and lipids