Activity 04

THE ANIMAL CELL

Introduction
Cells are the basic structural and functional units of life. They are the simplest entities that can
exhibit the characteristics and processes associated with life such as growth, response,
metabolism, and reproduction among others. While cells may come in different shapes and sizes,
all cells are designed similarly and share the same fundamental features. A living organism may
be composed of one (unicellular) or more (multicellular) cells.

Like any other eukaryotic cell, animal cells possess a double-membraned nucleus and several
organelles that perform specific functions. These membrane-bound structures and a wide-array of
molecules and complexes are suspended in a semi-fluid matrix called cytoplasm. A plasma
membrane encloses the cellular components and separates the animal cell from its exterior
allowing the cell to regulate the processes within and maintain a stable internal environment.

At the end of this activity, students should be able to:

1. Identify structures in selected animal cells;
2. Use staining techniques to reveal cellular structures more clearly;
3. Prepare a wet mount;
4. Examine cellular structures in unicellular animal-like protists.

Materials
Compound light microscope Methylene blue
Glass slide Janus green B
Cover slip Dropper
Hay infusion Toothpick
Methylcellulose Sterile lancet
70% alcohol Cotton balls or paper towels
Prepared slide of:
Cheek cells
Blood cells
Paramecium sp.

Procedure
A. Cheek Cells
1. Put a drop of water on a clean slide.
2. Gently scrape the inside of your mouth using the blunt end of a toothpick. Stir the
scrapings into the drop of water on the slide. Gently put a coverslip over the mixture to
avoid bubble formation.
3. Place the slide on the stage. Rotate the nosepiece until LPO is aligned.
4. Rotate the coarse adjustment knob to put the cells into focus. When necessary, adjust the
iris diaphragm to reduce the intensity of transmitted light and improve the contrast since
cheek cells are transparent. Find the area that contains individual cells.
5. Place a drop of methylene blue at the edge of the coverslip and allow the solution to
diffuse towards the cells.
6. Put a stained cell into focus and center it in the field of view. Rotate the nosepiece to
align HPO. When necessary, carefully adjust focus using the fine adjustment knob.
NEVER focus with the coarse adjustment knob when using HPO!
7. Draw one or two cheek cells and label the visible parts. Indicate the total magnification.
8. Repeat steps 1-4 using another set of clean materials (i.e., toothpick, glass slide,
coverslip).

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 9. Stain the cells with Janus Green B. Observe the mitochondrion. Draw one or two cells
and label the mitochondria. Indicate the total magnification.
10. Use the dimensions of the FOV to estimate the size of a human cheek cell. Show your
computations on the space provided in your Answer Sheet.

B. Blood Cells
1. Prepare a clean glass slide and coverslip.
2. Clean a finger with 70% alcohol and allow it to dry.
3. Puncture the fingertip with a sterile lancet. Put the lancet down and gently squeeze the
finger until a small drop of blood forms at the fingertip.
4. Place the drop of blood from the finger onto the middle section of the glass slide. Wipe
the fingertip to clean excess blood. If bleeding persists, apply pressure with a cotton ball
or a paper towel until it stops.
5. Before the blood droplet begins to dry, place a coverslip on one edge so that it touches the
blood droplet at an acute angle. With a single motion, smoothly move the coverslip away
from the blood droplet, across the surface of the glass slide to smear the blood out until it
stops flowing.
6. Quickly allow the coverslip to fall flat and stick to the blood smear surface. Do not move
the coverslip around after it falls.
7. Place the glass slide with the blood smear on the stage. Rotate the nosepiece until LPO is
aligned. Rotate the coarse adjustment knob to focus the specimen.
8. Look for a thinner section of the smear that contains fewer blood cells. Observe the blood
cells. Draw two to three representative blood cells and label visible structures. Indicate
the total magnification.
9. Use the dimensions of the FOV to estimate the size of a human cheek cell. Show your
computations on the space provided in your Answer Sheet.

C. Animal-like Protists
1. Prepare a hay infusion as follows:
a. Take a handful of dried grass or hay and cut it into smaller pieces.
b. Place the cut grass into a 1-L disposable cup. Add 500 mL of pond water. You may
add a pinch of yeast and sugar to stimulate growth of microbes, including protists.
c. Let the hay infusion sit for 3-5 days away from direct sunlight. Replace the
evaporated water. Agitate the water a bit regularly to enrich oxygen. NOTE: It might
not smell pleasant after a few days.
2. Place a small ring of methylcellulose on a clean glass slide to slow down the movement
of protists. Place a drop of hay infusion inside the methylcellulose ring.
3. Use a toothpick to mix the methylcellulose with the drop of hay infusion. Add a coverslip
and examine the protists with your light microscope.
4. Draw a protozoan as observed under the microscope and label visible parts of the cell.
Use the space provided in your Answer Sheet. Indicate the total magnification.
5. Examine a prepared slide of a Paramecium sp. as the representative protozoan species.
Draw the Paramecium sp. and label cellular parts. Use the space provided in your Answer
Sheet. Indicate the total magnification.

Answer Sheet 03
THE ANIMAL CELL

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Group No.: __________ Section: __________ Score: __________

A. Cheek Cells

Cheek cells stained with Cheek cells stained with

Methylene Blue Janus Green B

Estimating the size of a cheek cell:

B. Blood Cells

Red Blood Cells White Blood Cells

Estimating the size of a blood cell:

C. Animal-like Protists

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 Representative Protozoan Paramecium sp.

REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What is the purpose of using stains when examining cellular structures under the microscopy?
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2. What structures visible in stained preparation were invisible in unstained specimens?

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3. List two (2) structural differences between an animal cell and a plant cell. How do these
structural differences affect animal or plant cell function?
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