The cell structure

and physiology
Prepared by:
Sawsan A. Abdullah
M.Sc. Physiology
Lecturer
 Organization of the cell
Cell is the basic structural and functional unit of the
body
 Cell composition
• Water :70-85% ,
• Ions
• Proteins: 10-20% ,
• Lipids : 2-95%
• Carbohydrates : 1-6 %

-Water is the principal fluid medium of the cell

present in most cells except fat cell
 2protiens : divided into two types
A- Structural proteins:
Present in the cell mainly in the form of long filaments
(mainly form microtubules that provide the
cytoskeletons of such cellular organelles.

B- functional proteins:
Composed of combination of few molecules in tubular
globular form (they are mainly the enzymes of the cell.
• Lipids:
• Important lipids are : phospholipids and cholesterol
constitute only about 2% of the total cell mass, they
are insoluble in water and therefore are used to
form membrane barriers.
• Neutral fat (triglycerides): in fat cell triglycerides
account for 95% of the cell mass (storehouse of
energy-giving nutrients).
• Carbohydrates :
• Little structural function in the cell and play a major
role in nutrition of the cell .
 Cell membrane
• Thin ,pliable(flexible) ,
elastic structure
• 7.5 – 10 nanometers
thick
• Mainly composed of
proteins and lipids.
• Protein 55%
• Phospholipids 25%
 Cell Membrane Components:
1 - LIPIDS:
• barrier to water and water-soluble substances
• organized in a bilayer of phospholipid molecules
CO2
O2
N2
ions glucose H2O
urea halothane

hydrophilic
“head”
hydrophobic
FA “tail”
2- Proteins:
• provide “specificity” to a membrane
• Two types:-
–integral: channels, pores, carriers, enzymes,
receptor, etc.
–peripheral: enzymes, intracellular signal
mediators, controllers of transport of substances
through pores

K+
 3 - Carbohydrates:
• glycolipids
• glycoproteins
• proteoglycans
• Glycocalyx
GLYCOCALYX
 Cytoplasm and its organelles
• Cytosol :clear fluid portion of the cytoplasm in
which the particles are dispersed in such as.

1- neutral fat globules

•2-Glycogen granules 3-ribosomes
4-Secretory vesicles
5-the other organelles
Cell Organelles
1 - The Endoplasmic Reticulum:
• Network of tubular and flat vesicular structures
• similar to the plasma membrane
• Space inside the tubules is called the endoplasmic matrix
 Rough or Granular ER
•outer membrane surface
covered with ribosomes

•newly synthesized
proteins are extruded into
the ER matrix

•proteins are “processed”

inside the matrix
- cross-linked
- folded
- glycosylated
- cleaved
 Smooth ER (a Granular ER)
•Part of ER has no
attached ribosomes.

• site of lipid synthesis

-phospholipids
- cholesterol

•growing ER membrane
buds continuously forming
transport vesicles, most of
which migrate to the Golgi
apparatus
 The Golgi
Apparatus:
•Similar to that of the
smooth ER and plasma
membrane
•Composed of 4 or more
stacked layers of flat
vesicular Structures.

• This apparatus is
prominent in secretory
cell, where its located
on the side of the cell
from which the
secretory substance are
extruded.
•Transported substance
are then processed in
Golgi apparatus to
form :

- Lysosomes
- Secretory vesicle
- Cytoplasmic
component
 Lysosomes:

• Vesicular organelle formed from

budding Golgi

•Lysosome provide an intracellular

digestive system that allows the cell
to digest:
-damaged cellular structure
-food particles that have been
ingested by cell
-unwanted matter such as bacteria
Peroxisomes:

• Similar physically to lysosomes

• two major differences:

• formed by self-replication
• they contain oxidases (hydrogen peroxide and
catalase)

Function: oxidize substances (e.g. alcohol) that

may be otherwise poisonous
Secretory Granules

Secretory vesicle in acinar cells of the pancreas

 Exocytosis:

Secretory vesicles diffuse

through the cytosol and
fuse to the plasma
membrane
 Mitochondria (powerhouse) :
Primary function: extraction of energy from nutrients

Mitochondria are self-replicative

Matrix: contain large amount of dissolve enzymes

 cytoskeleton
• Fibrillar protein synthesized by ribosomes in
the cytoplasm, polymerize to form filaments
(microtubules).

• The primary function of microtubules is to act

as cytoskeleton , providing rigid physical
structure
The Nucleus: “Control Center” of the Cell
Nucleus contains large quantities of DNA
,which are the genes .
• Nuclear membrane is two separated bilayer membrane, the
outer membrane is continuous with the endoplasmic
reticulum.
• Nuclear membrane penetrated by several thousand nuclear
pores (selectively permeable).
• Chromatin (condensed DNA) is found in the nucleoplasm
•
o Nucleolus
• one or more per nucleus
• contains RNA and proteins
• functions to form the granular “subunits” of ribosomes
 Ingestion by the cell
Receptor-mediated endocytosis: Pinocytosis
and phagocytosis
•molecules attach to cell-
surface receptors
concentrated in clathrin-
coated pits

•receptor binding
induces invagination

•also ATP-dependent and

involves recruitment of
actin and myosin
 Digestion of Substances in
Pinocytotic or Phagocytic Vesicles

Pinocytosis :
ingestion of
minute particles
that form vesicles
of extracellular
fluid in the
cytoplasm
 Phagocytosis (Phagocytic Vesicles)
• Phagocytosis: the same as pinocytosis except that it
involve large particles rather than molecule like
macrophages and WBC.
Thanks for your
attention