CELL THEORY

MARK C. BALONQUITA
 Learning Objectives
• To pinpoint and explain the three
postulates of the Cell Theory
• To trace the timeline of Cell Theory
developments
• To compare and contrast the cell
theories of prominent biologists
Some Random Cell Facts

 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”

WOW!!!
 The Microscope and the
Origins of Cell Biology
As a major subfield of biology,
Cytology, which is the study of
the structures and functions of
plant and animal cells, would not
have grown and progressed if not
for the discovery of the
Image credit:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_microscope#/media/File:Optica
l_microscope_nikon_alphaphot_%2B.jpg
microscope.
 Cell Theory Timeline

Matthias Schleiden Rudolf Virchow

Robert Hooke (1665) (1838) (1858)
History of microscope
 In 1661, King Charles II of
England commissioned a
microscopic examination of
the natural world. The focus of
the royal interest at that time
was on insect anatomy.
However, an English scientist
named Robert Hooke did more
than what was required of his
assignment.
ROBERT HOOKE - 1665
 He was fascinated with
the microscopic world.
 More than satisfying his
curiosity in examining
bugs
 He also spent considerable
time on everyday objects
he found at home.
 Observed cells in cork.
 Coined the term "cells”.
 He devised one of the
earliest microscopes that
can magnify every sort of
material he can find at the
time such as glass, crystal,
point of a pin.
 He also described as having
a perforated and porou
surface like a honeycomb
and called this porous
structure as cellulae using
the Latin word for a small
room.
 Hedrew what he observed and his drawings
were collected in manuscript called
Micrographia.
Antoine Van Leewenhoek - 1673
 A Dutch naturalist, was credited to be the first to study
magnified cells.
 His interest came when he got hold of a copy of Hooke’s
Micrographia.
 He devised his own microscope with only one lens.
 He used his skills to
devised more than 500
lenses during his lifetime
in which one of his
lenses can able to
magnify 270 times
magnification.
 Due to his inventions he
was able to make
thousands of
observations of
microscopic objects and
specimens.
 He later on realized that
he can observed even
microscopic things that
were moving in the pond
water.
 Though he did not use
the word cell, he gave the
name animalcules,
meaning little animals.
 He was the first to
observe living cells.
1827-33 - Robert Brown
-noticed that pollen grains in water jiggled around
called “Brownian motion”
-discovered the nucleus
1838 - Matthias Schleiden

A botanist who concluded that all plants are made of cells.

Typical Plant Cell

 While working with his
microscope, Matthias
Schleiden discovered
the plant cell out of
which
vegetative/meriste
matic tissues and
Image credit:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Jacob_Schleiden#/media/File:Matthias_Jac
ob_Schleiden_Botaniker_Jena_Th
%C3%BCringen_Portrait_Stahlstich_um_1850_b.jpg

embryonic plants
originated.
1839 - Theodor Schwann

A zoologist who concluded that all animals

are made of cells.

Nerve Cells
 Theodor Schwann
discovered animal
cells, particularly
muscle and nerve
fiber tissues now
Image credit: Theodor Schwann Litho by Rudollf Hoffmann. Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_Schwann#/media/File:Theodor_Schwann_
Litho.jpg
named as the
Schwann cell in his
honor.
1855 - Rudolph Virchow

A physician who did

research on cancer cells and
concluded
“Omnis cellula e cellula”.

“All cells are from other

pre-existing cells.”
Rudolf Virchow was
the proponent of
the Cell Theory’s
3rd postulate,
which states that all
cells come from
pre-existing cells.
THE CELL THEORY
COMPLETE
• The 3 Basic Components of the Cell Theory were
now complete:
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)
 Examples of Postulate
1
I. Unicellular Organisms
a) Amoeba

Image credit: A "Giant Amoeba” by Dr. Tsukii Yuuji. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amoeba#/media/File:Chaos_carolinense.jpg
b) Bacteria

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrastructure#/media/File:Bacillus_subtilis.jpg

c) Euglena

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euglena#/media/File:Euglena_sp.jpg

d) Paramecium

Image credit: Paramecium Aurelia by Barfooz. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramecium#/media/File:Paramecium.jpg

e) Protozoa

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protozoa#/media/File:Mikrofoto.de-Blepharisma_japonicum_15.jpg

II. Multicellular Organisms
a) Fungi
b) Plant cells (Douglas fir tree wood stem
cells)
c) Animal cells (red blood cells of the
chicken)

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood#/media/File:Chickenrbc1000x.jpg

d) Human cells (red blood cells)

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood#/media/File:Humanrbc1000x.jpg

 Examples of Postulate 2
a) Breast cancer cells

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_cell#/media/File:Breast_cancer_cells.jpg

• cell is the basic unit of life in all living organisms including cancer cells
and disease-causing cells like bacteria and fungi.
 b) Human embryonic stem cells

Image credit:
ttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Human_embryonic_stem_cells_only_
A.png

embryonic stem cells (the latest in research and technology) are being
used to treat leukemia and skin cancer and for newborn screening,
aesthetic transplants, and assistive IVF babies.
b) Skin cells
MODERN CELL
THEORY
Modern Cell Theory contains 4 statements, in addition
to the original Cell Theory:
1. The cell contains hereditary information(DNA) which is
passed on from cell to cell during cell division.
2. All cells are basically the same in chemical composition
and metabolic activities.
3. All basic chemical & physiological functions are carried
out inside the cells.(movement, digestion,etc)
4. Cell activity depends on the activities of sub-cellular
structures within the cell(organelles, nucleus, plasma
membrane)
 New discoveries…
 Cellular structure and function
is very complex
 Cells seem to have their own
machinery
 Organelles work together to
make the cell a small factory –
more complex and efficient
than any human factory
 Discoveries made possible by
better microscopes,
biochemistry, DNA research
Better Scopes
 Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEM’s):
electrons pass through thins slices of specimens to
create the image
 TEM’s show cell structure and protein
molecule structure
 Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM’s):
electrons bounce off specimen to create a 3-D
image
Electron microscopes can only work in a vacuum
so only non-living, preserved specimens can be
used
Pollen under SEM
 Better Scopes
 Scanning Probe
Microscopes developed in
1990’s use a probe instead
of an electron beam
 Can even show images at
atomic level
 Vacuum not necessary
 Used to show protein
structure, DNA, other
cellular structures
Arrangeme
nt
of atoms on
silicon
surface
Hydrothermal Worm