Animal and Plant Cells

In 1665, Robert Hooke coined the term cell when he first observed a
specimen of a cork using his example microscope. He discovered
compartments in the cork specimen that resemble prison cells due to
the remains of cell walls in the cork.

Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek designed and used a simple microscope to

observe the living organisms in the scrapings of his own teeth in 1673.
His microscope had only one lens, a magnifying lens in a frame with a
needle on which he placed his specimen for viewing.
 With the continuous development of the microscope, there
were various observations of scientists on the cells of plants and
animals. In 1838, botanist Matthias Schleiden and zoologist
Theodor Schwann in 1839 used these observations to prove that
animals and plants are multicellular organisms. Then in 1858,
Rudolf Virchow made the cell theory,
which states that cells come from pre-existing cells.

Figure 8.1. Scientists Who Contributed

to the Cell Theory
Matthias Schleiden Theodor Schwann Rudolph Virchow
 The discoveries of Thomas Purkinjie about the protoplasm, Robert
Brown about the nucleus, Camilo Golgi about the Golgi bodies and
others contributed greatly to the information about the parts of the
cell and their functions.

Animals such as cats, are eukaryotic organisms. They have a

variety of cells that perform specific functions in the body.

Cell has organelles, which perform specific functions in the cell.

For instance, the sperm cell has a tail that is used to propel itself
toward the egg cell. The tail contains numerous mitochondria that
give the tail energy for movement.
 Plants are also eukaryotic organisms just like animals but they have the special
ability to produce their own food by converting sunlight into chemical energy
through a process known as photosynthesis.

By utilizing light energy, hydrogen is removed from the water molecules and is
used to transform carbon dioxide to a sugar molecule called glucose (C 6 H12O6 ),
forming a by-product of oxygen.

Photosynthesis would not be possible without chlorophyll in the chloroplast, an

organelle of the plant cell. There are other organelles in the plant cell that are
different from those of the animal cell.
8.1 Cells
Figure 8.2 and 8.3 Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells
 An organism can be made up of a single cell (unicellular) or many different cells
(multicellular). Each kind of cell performs specific functions in the body.

A cell can be prokaryotic cell, which is a cell that does not have a nucleus or a
eukaryotic cell, which has a true nucleus. Because the prokaryotic cell does not have
a nucleus, the genetic information of the cell is suspended in the nucleoid and it is
not enclosed by a membrane. It is observed in bacteria cells.

A eukaryotic cell, on the other hand, has a nucleus that is enclosed in a nuclear
membrane where the genetic information of the cell is contained.
The nucleus, being the control center of the cell, determines the action and
characteristics of a cell in a eukaryotic organism. Eukaryotic cell is present in
organisms that fall under the Kingdoms Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia.
 The human body contains many different kinds of cells which perform different
tasks in the body. Their structures usually show how they work in the body.
Table 8.1 shows the different types of cells in the body and their functions.

Table 8.1. The Different Types of Cells in the Body and their Functions

Type of Cell in the Body Function

The main function of red blood cells is

to distribute oxygen to body tissues and
remove carbon dioxide from the body.

Red Blood Cell

Type of Cell in the Body Function

Skeletal muscle cells are structured to

produce voluntary movements, while
smooth muscle cells are structured to
produce involuntary movements.
Cardiac muscle cells have both features of
skeletal and smooth muscle cells and are
responsible for keeping the heart beating.

Muscle cell
The main function of the sperm cell is to
fertilize the egg to produce a new
offspring.

Sperm cell
Type of Cell in the Body Function

Its main function is to give signals or

impulses throughout the body for
proper coordination. It contains long
fiber called axon that branches out
from the body of the cell. Axon allows
the impulses to travel.

Nerve cell
8.2 The Animal Cell

Figure 8.4. The Animal Cell

 The cells in the body of an animal can look very different from each other
because of their specific functions but, in reality, the different organelles or
parts that compose the cell are quite the same. (See figure 8.4.) Other cells
may have organelles that are bigger or smaller but still have the same function.

The following are parts of an animal cell with their functions.

Parts and Functions of Animal Cells

1. Cell membrane – This keeps all parts of the cell intact and enables nutrients, wastes, and
secretions to go in and out of the cell. Structurally, it is phospholipid bilayer, which means
that it is composed of large molecules of proteins and phospholipids. It serves as the skin
of the cell that controls the entrance or exit of substances in a cell.

2. Nucleus – The animal cell is a eukaryotic cell, which means that it has a true nucleus.
The nucleus is considered as the control center of the cell because it unifies and integrates
the processes in the cell. The nucleus is composed of the following:

• Nucleoplasm – is a type of protoplasm or a gelatinous matrix of a nucleus in which it is

the base material.

• Chromosome – is a rod-shaped structure inside the nucleus in which it is composed

of linear deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA and proteins (histone and non-histone).
Gene is found along the DNA molecules in which it is described as the beads of a string.
• Nuclear membrane – is the membrane that encloses; it has nuclear pores
that function as the passageway of large molecules in and out of the nucleus.

• Nucleolus – is a dense area inside in which the ribosomal ribonucleic acid or

rRNA, a kind of ribonucleic acid molecule that will later on be a part of the
ribosomes, is created.

3. Cytoplasm – It is a gelatinous semifluid protoplasm in which the other organelles

of the cell are suspended, such as the endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes, Golgi
bodies, mitochondria, centrioles, microtubules, lysosomes, and other membrane-
bound vacuoles. This is where most of the cell’s metabolic reactions take place.
4. Endoplasmic reticulum – The endoplasmic reticulum, also called ER, is an
interconnected membrane system that works as a transport network of tubules
and flattened sacs within the cytoplasm. The outer surface of the ER where
ribosomes are attached is called rough endoplasmic reticulum. The part where
there is no attached ribosomes is called the smooth endoplasmic reticulum.

5. Ribosome – The ribosome is not an organelle because it has no membrane.

However, it is important for the synthesis of essential proteins. A eukaryotic cell has
ribosomes that have the size of 18nm to 22nm in diameter and are mainly made up
of Rrna in the nucleolus. When ribosomes are clustered together, they are called
polysomesor polyribosomes and they are held together by the messenger
ribonucleic acid.
6. Golgi complex – This is a stack of flattened membranous sacs that function
as the packaging center of the cell. It communicates with the ER to finalize
the synthesis of proteins into functional proteins and packages them in an
enclosed membrane vesicle for the storage and export of proteins in the cell.

7. Mitochondrion – It is a double-membranous organelle that functions as the

powerhouse of the cell. It contains many enzymes in its matrix for Krebs’s
Cycle and a complex structured membrane called cristae which contains
enzymes important for electro-transport chain of cellular respiration. It is
called the powerhouse of the cell because it produces Adenosine triphosphate
or ATP which is the energy used in the cell.
8.Lysosome – Lysosome is a membrane bound vesicle that comes
from the Golgi body. It is called the suicide bag of the cell because it
contains hydrolytic enzyme from the Golgi body that is used to break
down foreign materials that enter the cell. It also breaks down old
organelles and the cell itself in a process called apoptosis.

9. Cytoskeleton – This is a system of fibers that is made up of

protein subunits called microtubes, intermediate filament, and
microfilament. All three serve to strengthen, support, and maintain
the structure and shape of a cell. It may also act as highways for
organelles as they move across the cell during the cell division.
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