Introduction, Microscopy & Cell Theory
new species
Basic Characteristics of Living Things
1. Definite Organization - Cell is the basic
structural of all living things. Cells are
organized to form tissues, tissues into organs,
organs into organ system,. Each unit of the
organ system perform definite functions. Each
function is dynamically coordinated with other
units to perform a normal life.
2. Metabolism - It is the sum of all chemical
reactions that take place inside the living
things/cells.
● Types of Metabolism
a. Anabolism (ADD) - building
b. Catabolism (CUT) - breaking
3. Growth and Development - All organism
manifest development by growing in size and
shape. Non-living things increase in size by
external addition, hence called accretion
4.
5. Responsiveness - All organisms can
respond to a stimuli in their environment. This
attribute is termed as irritability. Stimuli may
come in form of light, heat, gravity, water,
touch, or sound
6. Movement - All organisms are capable of
movement. Thus transferring from one place to
another. Plant shoes little movement called
tropism.
7. Genetic Control - All organisms have units of
information packaged in their cells termed as
genetic material (DNA) that life processes.
Genetic material is transmitted from generation
to generation preserving the traits of the
species and changes in this material make
evolutionary change possible for the creation of
Development of Cell Theory
Robert Hooke
● he was a British scientist who paved the
way to the discovery of cells.
● he used a crude microscope to examine
a piece of cork and found little structures
in it which he compared to cellulae.
(Latin for “little rooms”).
● later he called it cells and discovered
that the cells he had found in the cork
were actually outer walls of a former
plant cells.
ANTON VAN LEEUWEENHOEK
● he was a Dutch scientist who used a
more advance microscope to examine
different subjects or specimen.
● Leeuwenhoek found moving protist,
which he had then referred to as
animalcules.
Felix Dujardin
● discovered the internal substances of
living cells and gave it the name
“sarcode”.
Jan Evangelista Purkinje
● coined the word “protoplasm”
describing the substance found inside
the cell
Robert brown
● discovered the nucleus and established
it as the fundamental and constant
component of the cell
Mathias schleiden
● German botanist who made his
investigation about plants and
established the theory that plants are
made up of cells.
Theodore Schwann
● German zoologist and physiologist who
theorized that animals are made up of
cells.
Rudolf virchow
● theorized that living cells came from
pre-existing cells.
Cell Theory
1. The cell is the basic unit of life
2. All living organisms are composed of
cells.
3. New cells are created from preexisting
cells.
4. Cells of multicellular organisms are
interconnected allowing it to function as
a single unit.
Microscopy : Foundation of Cell Theory
MICROSCOPE
● Microscope is a scientific tool used to
magnify objects that cannot be seen by
the naked eye. It is an essential tool in
the study of the fine structure of an
organism, especially cells.
● Light microscope is the oldest and most
used instrument which uses the light
and lenses to observe and magnify
objects.
● Microscopy started in the 14th century in
Italy. The team Hans Lippershey and
Zacharias Janssen assembled an
apparatus by placing two lenses in one
tube
Parts of the Microscope
MECHANICAL PARTS – refers to the parts
that serve as the framework of the apparatus.
● Draw tube – is where the eyepiece is
inserted
● Body tube - is a connection between the
ocular eyepiece and the objectives.
● Revolving nosepiece – facilitates the
shifting of the objectives.
● Fine adjustment knob – is used to focus
finer detail of the object.
● Arm – is used for carrying the
microscope
● Inclination joint – is used to tilt the
microscope
● Pillar – is a connection between the
base and the rest of the microscope
● Base – supports the entire microscope
● Coarse adjustment knob – is used to
focus the object with low power
objective
● Stage – is where the glass slide is
placed Stage clip – is used to hold the
slide in place
ILLUMINATING OR OPTICAL PARTS –
produces light entering the microscope
● Mirror – collects the light and directs it
towards the object.
● Iris diaphragm – regulates the amount of
light entering the microscope
● Condenser – is used to concentrate the
light towards the specimen
MAGNIFYING PARTS – enlarge or magnify
the object
● Ocular eyepiece – contains lenses,
magnifies object up to 5-10x
● Objectives – Low Power Objective
(LPO) – 10x
● High Power Objective (HPO) – 40x to
45x
● Oil Immersion Objective (OIO) – 100x
Cell staining - Cell staining is a technique that
can be used to better visualize cells and cell
components under a microscope
Cell Structures and Functions
● it is the basic unit of life
● building blocks of the living world
● makes up all living things, from simplest
to the most complex
● Cell is a microscopic membrane-bound
system that controls all the chemicals
and molecules that help sustain an
organism’s existence.
● Unicellular organisms have different
structures compared to multicellular
organism
MAJOR PARTS OF A CELL
● The cell has three major parts, namely,
the cell membrane, the cytoplasm and
the nucleus.
1. Cell Membrane
● outermost part of the cell
● acts as a gatekeeper which controls the
entry and exit of materials or substances
from the cell.
● composed of phospholipid bilayer which
is a double layer of fats and proteins
● semi-permeable
● serves as security of the cell
Cell Wall
● is a rigid wall found in plant and
bacterial cells, which lies outside the cell
membrane.Serves as a secondary wall
for plant and bacterial cells.
2. Cytoplasm
● the area in the cell where the
organelles are located
● composed of water, proteins and
salts
● the liquid portion of the cytoplasm
is known as cytosol
● contains enzymes that break
down waste and enable
metabolic reactions
● Cytoskeleton helps maintain the
structure of the cell
● A cytoskeleton is present in the
cytoplasm of all cells
Endoplasmic Reticulum
● responsible in transporting molecules
across the cytoplasm
● and is also capable of assembling new
lipids for export to other cells.
● 2 types of ER
● Rough or granular ER (RER)
● Smooth or agranular ER (SER)
Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum (RER)
● synthesizing and modifying proteins
Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum (SER)
● synthesizes fatty acids and
phospholipids
Ribosomes
● site of protein synthesis
● present in both prokaryotic and
● eukaryotic cells
● they freely swim around the
● cytoplasm, some are attached to RER.
● developing muscle cells, and skin
● and hair cells contain large
● numbers of free ribosomes
Vacuole
● a fluid-filled vesicle enclosed by a
membrane
● this organelle stores chemicals within
the cell
● both plant and animal cells have
vacuoles
● Plant cells have bigger vacuole since it
stores water and waste products
3. Nucleus
Lysosome
● serve as digestion slots for cellular
materials that are due for expiration or
are no longer useful
● known as the “suicide bag” of the cell
● capable of self-destruction in order to
save the rest of the other organelles
from being poisoned. This process is
called phagocytosis.
Golgi Apparatus
● A system of irregular network of canals
which functions as the manufacturer and
the shipping center of the cell
● it modifies, sorts and packages the
macromolecules synthesized by the cell
Mitochondria
● Known as the powerhouse of the cell.
● Serves as the site for cellular respiration
● Mitochondrion has the responsibility to
produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate)
which is the energy of the cell.
Chloroplast
1. Chromosome – rod/thread like structure
● An organelle that can only be found in
plants and photosynthetic protist.
2. Gene – basic unit of heredity and
● Serves as the site of energy conversion
in plants.
● Contains the green pigment of the plant
3. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)– contains
called chlorophyll
Centrioles
● A small cylindrical dark body,
which occurs in pairs hence
sometimes called diplosome.
● Found outside the nucleus
● Plays a major role in the
formation of spindle fibers during
cell division.
● A spherical structure usually
located near the center of the cell
and enclosed by a nuclear
membrane.
● it is the control center of the cell
Parts of Nucleus
1. Karyoplasm or Nucleoplasm –
protoplasmic content of the
nucleus
2. Nuclear membrane - double layer
membrane that envelopes the
nucleus
3. Nuclear pores - are perforated
holes in the nuclear membrane
that permit the movement of
selected molecules between the
nucleus and the rest of the cell
while blocking the other passage
of other molecules
4. Nucleoli – synthesis of RNA and
protein
5. Chromosomes – rod/thread like
structure carrying genes
carrying genes
consists of specific sequence of DNA or
RNA
the genetic code
 Prokaryotic Vs. Eukaryotic

Prokaryotic Cell

● a cell with no definite or distinct nucleus

● no membrane bound organelles
● circular chromosome
● no nuclear membrane
● has cell wall and cell membrane
● found in bacteria

Eukaryotic Cell

● a cell with definite or true nucleus has

membrane bound organelles
● its genetic material is enclosed in the
nucleus
● structurally more complex

Special Modifications

● Microvilli – finger-like extension increase

the surface area
● Flagella – tiny whip-like structure that
allows a cell to move.
● Cilia – tiny thread-like projection
● Pili – slender hair-like extension for
attachment

Plastids

● chloroplast – contains green

pigment (chlorophyll)
● Chromoplast – contains yellow
(carotenoid) , red (phycoerythrin)
, blue (xanthophyll)
● Leucoplast – colorless plastids
that contain organic substances
such as oil, starch and protein.