The Cell

 All living things are made from one or more cells. A cell is the simplest
unit of life and they are responsible for keeping an organism alive and
functioning. This introduction to cells is the starting point for the area
of biology that studies the various types of cells and how they work.
 There is a massive variety of different types of cells but they all have
some common characteristics. Almost every different type of cell
contains genetic material, a membrane and cytoplasm. Cells also have
many other features such as organelles and ribosomes that perform
specific functions.
 Many different organisms on the tree of life contain only one cell and
are known as single-celled or unicellular organisms. Their single cell
performs all the necessary functions to keep the organism alive. All
species of bacteria and archaea are single-celled organisms. On the
other hand, large organisms like humans are made from many trillions
of cells that work together to keep the organism alive.
 The two types of cells is the Eukaryotic cell (present in
higher forms of life) And Prokaryotic Cell (unicellular
organism that lacks a membrane-bound nucleus,
mitochondria, or any other membrane-bound organelle.
The word prokaryote comes from the Greek πρό "before"
and κάρυον "nut" or "kernel". Prokaryotes are divided into
two domains, Archaea and Bacteria.)

The most basic categorisation of Earth’s organisms is
determined by different types of cells. All cells can be
divided into one of two classifications: prokaryotic cells
and eukaryotic cells. Prokaryotic cells are found in
bacteria and archaea. Eukaryotic cells are found in
organisms from the domain Eukaryota which includes
animals, plants, fungi and protists.
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
the first microbiologist and the first person to observe
bacteria using a microscope.
Bacteria-are a type of biological cell. They
constitute a large domain of prokaryotic
microorganisms. Typically a few
micrometres in length, bacteria have a
number of shapes, ranging from spheres to
rods and spirals. Bacteria were among the
first life forms to appear on Earth, and are
present in most of its habitats
Archaea
 Archaea constitute a domain of single-celled
organisms. These microorganisms are prokaryotes,
and have no cell nucleus. Archaea were initially
classified as bacteria, receiving the name
archaebacteria, but this classification is outmoded.
 Plants and animals share similar organelles except for a
few differences. Among the differences of a plant and
animal cell is the presence of cell wall in plants which
absent in animals. Plant Cells have a cell wall, Which is
made of cellulose, This makes the plants rigid. Plants
also have bigger vacoules compared to animals since
they need water as one of the ingredients in making
glucose and oxygen in the process called
photosynthesis. They have chloroplast which is
responsible for photosynthesis which is lacking in
animal cells. On the other hand, animal cells have
centiriole which aids in mitosis which is not present in
plants
The Roles Of The Cell Organelles
 1.Nucleus. It is like the brain of the cell. It Regulates
organelle activity within the cell and houses the
genetic material of a cell. It contains DNA (blueprint
of life) which holds the genetic information for each
cell. It also directs the production of proteins.
 2.Cytoplasm. This houses the cell organelles. It is the
site where most cellular activities occur, such as many
metabolic pathways like glycolysis, and processes such
as cell division. It is a jelly like substance within the
cell which contains various enzymes and nutrients
that the cell need. It is where most proteins which is
the bulk of our body is made. It also plays an
important role in cell division
 3.Cell membrane. It controls what comes in and out.
This acts as a barrier between the cytoplasm and the
outside environment of the cells. The cell membrane is
made up of the lipid bilayer which is composed of a
double layer of phospholipid molecules. The selective
permeability oif the cell membrane is mainly due to the
way phospholipids interact in water. Proteins in cell
membranes include enzymes, receptot proteins,
transport proteins, and cell-surface markers.
 4.Mitochondria. This is called the power house of the
cell. It takes in nutrients, breaks them down, and
creates energy for the cell. Mitochondria are the site
for cellular respiration, the cells main way of
producing ATP to fuel the cells different activities. If
the cell is not getting enough energy to survive, more
mitochondria can be created
 5.Golgi apparatus. This organelle is named after its
discoverer Camillo Golgi, a renowned Italian biologist,
physician and scientist. It is the main protein
packaging system of cell. It modifies proteins from
ribosomes and ships them to their destination within
the cell. It also acts as the warehouse of the cell. It
gathers simple molecules and combine them to make
molecules that are more complex, packages them in
vesicles, and either stores them for later use or sends
them out of the cell. It also makes lysosomes
 6.Cytoskeleton. Maintains the cell’s shape. It aids in
cell movement such as flagella and cilia. It is also
responsible for maintaining other organelle’s position
within the cell. Its made up of three kinds of protein
filaments- the actin filaments (also called
microfilaments), intermediate filaments and
microtubules.
 7.Ribosomes. They are the protein factories of cell.
Some ribosomes are bound to rough ER while others
are free within the cell. They consist of two subunits-
the large subunit or the ribosomal RNA. When it is
time to make the protein, the two subunits come
together to process the nucleotide sequence from the
mRNA . The subunits lock onto the mRNA and start
the protein synthesis. The nucleotide sequence will be
translated in group of threes called codons to make
one amino acid. These amino acids are linked together
by peptide bond and become proteins.
 7.Endoplasmic reticulum. These are extensive
network of channels that account for half of cell’s
membranes. They are composed of rough and smooth
ER. Rough endoplasmic reticulum are covered in
ribosomes. The rough ER plays an important role in
protein synthesis. They secrete special proteins
produced by ribosomes. In the pancreas the rough ER
secretes insulin into the bloodstream to help digest
sugar. It also transports channel for proteins produced
by attached ribosomes. It acts as a storage organelle
and stores steroids and ions in solution that the cell
may need at a later time. It is also involved primarily in
digesting carbohydrates, producing hormones, and
detoxification of drugs and poisons. It also produces
sex hormones in ovaries and testes
 8.Lysosome. It functions as the digestive organelle. It
breaks down food and other substances within the cell
and also works to destroy old organelles. In white
blood cells, the lysosome will absorb harmful cells and
destroy them. After particles have been digested, they
are secreted back into the cell and used as nutrients.
 9.Cell walls. They are tough, usually flexible but
sometimes fairly rigid layer that surround the plant
cell. It provides the cells with structural support and
protection, and also acts as a filtering mechanism. It is
found among plants, bacteria, fungi, algae and some
archaea bacteria. For plants it is made of a polymer
cellulose and for fungi it is chitin.
 10.Chloroplast. An elongated or disc-shaped
organelle containing chlorophyll which captures light
energy to make organic molecules in a complex set of
processes called photosynthesis. This is what makes
seperates plants and animals in their role in the
ecosystem. Plants are autotrophs since they can
produce their own food while animals heterotrophs
which highly depends on other organisms including
the plants. The chloroplast has two components: the
thylakoid membrane and the grana. The thylakoid
membrane is responsible for the light dependent
reaction while the stroma is responsible for the light
independent reaction or the Calvin cycle
 11.Vacuole. They are essentially enclosed
compartments which are filled with water containing
inorganic and organic molecules including enzymes in
solution. Water is used in homeostasis to help with
temperature and hydration and is one of the main
ingredients in photosynthesis. It also isolates materials
that might be harmful or a threat to the cell. Allows
plants to support structures such as leaves and flowers
due to the pressure of the central vacuole.
The Cell Theory Premises
 1.All living things are composed of cells.
-the cell is the basic unit of life; and new cells arise from
existing cells. Rudolf Virchow later made important
contributions to this theory. The cell is the fundamental
unit of structure and function in living things.
 The study of cells is called cell biology. Cells consist of
cytoplasm enclosed within a membrane, which contains
many biomolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids.
Organisms can be classified as unicellular (consisting of a
single cell; including bacteria) or multicellular (including
plants and animals).
 2.Cells are the basic unit of structure and function
in living things.

 All known living things are composed of one or

more cells. All new cells are created by pre-
existing cells dividing in two. The cell is the most basic
unit of structure and function in all living
organisms.
 Cell is called structural unit because body of all the
organisms is made up of cells. It is functional unit of
life because all the functions of body (physiological,
biochemical. genetic and other functions) are carried out
by cells
 3.New cells are produced from existing cells

 New Cells are created from a process called cell division.

The new cells are produced when a cell, called the
mother cell, divides into new cells called
daughter cells.
 All cells come from pre-existing cells by cell division.
Schwann also proposed “Free Cell Formation” or
spontaneous generation of cells
 In 1839, Schwann and Schleiden proposed that
the cell is the basic unit of life, and Virchow, in 1858,
deduced that new cells come from pre-existing cells,
completing the main tenets of classical cell theory
Let’s Have A
Quiz About Cell
And Organelles