CHAPTER – 8

BIOLOGY
CELL: STRUCTURE AND
FUNCTION
BY: KANISHKA SHARMA
CLASS: VIII-B
ROLL NO: 16
 INTRODUCTION
All organisms weather plants, animals,
or microorganism are made up of cells.
The smallest structural and functional
unit of an organisms is called cell.
They are the building block of all
living things. The human body consists
of trillions of cells.
In a simple way, cell is like a car. The
nucleus of a cell would be like the
driver of a car, they control the cell/car.
Cell membrane is like the doors on a
car. They regulate what goes in/out.
 VARIATION IN SHAPES AND SIZES
Cells of organisms show variation in terms of their number, shape
and size. Let us discuss each of these variation in detail:
Variation In Number:
You are aware that organisms such as amoeba, paramecium,
euglena are made up of single cell and cannot be seen through
naked eyes. Such organisms are called unicellular organisms. They
perform all activities necessary for life, they grow, move, digest
food, give out waste and reproduce.
Plants and animals that can be seen through naked eyes are made up
of many cells and are called multicellular organisms.
Variation in shape:
Different cells, carring out different functions, exist in different
shapes. They can be disc-shaped, polygonal rectangular, branched or
even irregular. The shape of a particular cell depends on the specific
function it performs. Here are the few examples:
MUSCLE CELL
help in movement
through contraction
SKIN CELLS
and expansion. cover a large
Hence, they are thin area. Hence, they
and long. are flat and broad
NERVE CELL carry messages in shape
between different parts of the
body to the brain or spinal
cord. Hence, they are
elongated in shape
Variation in size:
Most cells are microscopic and cannot be seen with a naked eye. The
smallest cells are bacteria, which generally range in size from 0.1 to
0.5 micrometer. The largest cell is the egg of an ostrich, which is 170
millimeter in diameter. Nerve cells are believed to be the longest cells,
in the human body.

BACTERIA CELL OF OSTRICH’S EGG

 STRUCTURE OF A CELL
Though cells may differ in shapes and sizes, all of them have same
basic structure. A cell contains both living and non-living parts.
The main parts of a cell are cell membrane, cytoplasm and
nucleus.

STRUCTURE OF A CELL
CELL MEMBRANE:
The cell membrane is the outermost covering of a cell,
which protects the cell and demarcates it from other cells.
However, it allows water, minerals, and some other
necessary substances to pass through it. It is semi
permeable.
Plant cells have an additional layer outside the cell
membrane, called the cell wall. The cell wall is made up of
cellulose and is tough and rigid, giving shape to the plant
cell. Animal cell lack the cell wall.
CYTOPLASM:
The cytoplasm is a viscous jelly-like substance present within the cell
membrane.
Present within the cytoplasm are several, living membrane-bounded
bodies that have definite shape and functions, called cell organelles.
Some of the organelles found within the cell are discussed below:
1. Golgi apparatus (or Golgi body): it is made up of several
membrane-bound, fluid filled, sacs which are stacked together. It is
responsible for the packaging and transporting of fats and proteins. It
also helps in formation of Lysosomes.
2. vacuole: vacuoles are fluid-filled spaces encloses by a
membrane. Vacuoles store excess water, useful minerals, pigments,
and many other substances. Large vacuoles are present in plant
cells, where they maintain the shapes of the plant cells, where they
maintain the shape of the plant cell. Smaller and more numerous
vacuoles are present in animal cell.

3. Lysosomes: lysosomes contain chemical substance called

enzymes that are capable of digesting cells and variety of intra- and
extra-cellular materials. In times of emergency, lysosomes burst
and destroy the cell. Hence, they are also called suicide bags of the
cells.
4. Endoplasmic reticulum: it is an interconnected network of
tubules and channels and is involved in the synthesis, storage, and
transport of cells products.

5. Ribosomes: they are the small granular structure found scattered

around in the cytoplasm. They are the primary sites for protein
synthesis.
They are sometimes found attached to the surface of endoplasmic
reticulum. Such a type of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is called
rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER). On the other hand, smooth
endoplasmic reticulum (SER) does not have attached ribosomes
6. Mitochondria : These are also double membrane-bound, spherical or
rod-shaped bodies. They act as sites of energy production and are,
therefore,
called the powerhouse of the cell.

7. Plastids: plastids are double membrane-bound organelles which are

present only in plant cells. They are spherical or ovoid in shape and bear
certain pigment colour, plastids are of three kinds: chloroplasts,
chromoplasts, and leucoplsts.
• Chloroplasts contain the green pigment chlorophyll, which helps
plants in making food.
• Chromoplasts contain non-green pigment that give colour to flowers
and fruits.
8. Centrosomes: these are present only in animal cells.
Centrosomes initiate and regulate cell division.
NUCLEUS:
The nucleus is considered to be the brain of the cell. It is floating within
the cytoplasm in the center. It directs the growth of the cell and controls
all the activities that go on within the cell. The liquid in the nucleus is
called nucleoplasm. It is surrounded by a double-membrane called the
nuclear membrane. This membrane bears many pores, called nuclear
pores. Present inside the nucleus is a smaller spherical body called
nucleolus. Also present semi-solid nucleoplasm, which contain several
thread like fibres called chromatin fibres. These fibres carry genes,
which transfer the characteristics of a cell to the new cells that are
formed during cell division.
The nucleus and the cytoplasm together make up the protoplasm, which
means the living substance of the cell. The main constituent of
 PROKARYOTIC AND EUKARYOTIC CELLS:
Such cells that lack a well-defined nucleus surrounded by a nuclear
membrane are called prokaryotic cells. For e.g. bacteria and blue-
green algae.
On the other hand, cells that have well-defined nucleus are called
eukaryotic cells. For e.g. all organisms apart from bacteria, blue-
green algae and viruses are eukaryotes.
 PLANT AND ANIMAL CELLS
Although plant and animal cells have the same basic structure, there are
certain differences between them.
 PLANT CELL ANIMAL CELL
1. CELL WALL IS PRESENT 1. CELL WALL IS ABSENT

2. CYTOPLASM IS NOT AS 2. CYTOPLASM IS DENSE

DENSE AS IN AN ANIMAL
CELL.
3. A LARGE VACUOLE IS 3. VACUOLE IS GENERALLY
PRESENT. ABSENT, IF PRESENT THEY
ARE SMALL IN SIZE.
4. PLASTIDS ARE USUALLY 4. PLASTIDS ARE ABSENT
PRESENT
5. CENTROSOMES IS 5. CENTROSOMES IS
ABSENT. PRESENT
 CELL DIVISION AND GROWTH
The food that we eat leads to an increase in the size of cells. After
reaching a certain size, a cell divides into two by a process called
cell division. Increase in the number of cells in the body as a result
of cell division is responsible for growth in organisms. Cell
division also replaces the dead or damaged cells with new ones
and is, thus, responsible for healing wounds.
CELL MEMBARNE
ALSO DIVIDES

NUCLEUS DIVIDES
INTO TW0

TWO NEW
CELLS ARE
FORMED
THANK
YOU