BIOL 2030 – In-Class Lecture 1

Cell Biology
CELL BIOLOGY BACKGROUND (Chapter 1)

1. Discovery of Cells

2. Properties of Cells

3. Types of Cells
4. Origin of Cells

5. Cell organelles
 What is a Cell?
--the cell is the basic unit of life
Living living living non-livng non-living nonliving
Organism --Tissues -- Cells--- organelles -- molecules -- atoms

Where did the term cell originate?

Robert Hook 1665 using a simple microscope to examine a piece of cork
described the many chambers he observed as cells

What are some characteristics of cells?

--all living things are made up of cells
--cells are able to make copies of themselves
--the simplest forms of life are single celled organisms
--higher organisms, like ourselves are made of communities of cells, derived from
cell division of a single founder cell.
--Living cells are formed by division of pre-existing cells-part of the cell theory
Cells can exist as either tissues or
independent organisms.

One thing living cells have in common

is the ability to grow, reproduce,
convert energy from one form to
another and can respond to their
environment.
 Living cells have similar chemistry

They share the same basic machinery that perform largely the same
functions.

Example:

In all living things the genetic instructions or

genes are stored as DNA molecules.

These genes are written in the same genetic code

(4 different nucleotides) regardless if you are
an amoeba, bacteria or human.

The code is interpreted or read by the same

machinery and is duplicated in the same way.

The flow of genetic information is the same in all

living cells (DNA-RNA-PROTEIN).

In every, living organism the proteins that are

made are made from the same subset of 20
amino acids
 Are viruses considered living?
not living—no ability to reproduce themselves unless they infect a
cell.

(Viruses use the machinery of the cell that they infect in order to
replicate their own genetic information and produce the protein that
will make up the outer coat of new viruses particles)
In many cases these viruses cause the lysis of cells. Most of the medical
symptoms reflect this lysis. (For example a cold sore caused by herpes
simplex virus is the result of the killing and lysis of skin cells)