Introduction To The Cell and Its Structure

General Biology 1 Page 1 of 6
Introduction to the Cell and Its Structure

• Cell Theories
• Cell Discoveries
• Cell Parts and Function
WELCOME STEM STUDENTS!!
LESSON PROPER
1.1 Historical Perspective of Cell

The cell (from Latin “Cella”, meaning “small room”) is the basic structural,
functional and biological unit of all known Organism. A Cell is the smallest unit of life,
and often called the “building blocks of life “. The study of cell is called cell biology,
cellular biology or Cytology.
The Cell theory or Cell Doctrine states that all organism is composed of similar
units of organization called cell, the concept was formally articulated in 1839 by
Matthias Jakob Schleiden and Theodor Schwann and has remained the foundation of
modern biology. The idea predates other great paradigms of biology including
Darwin’s Theory of evolution (1859) and Mendel’s Law of inheritance (1865)
The first Cell was seen in Cork by Robert Hooke in 1665, while telescope made
the cosmos accessible to human observation, the microscope opened up the Smaller
worlds, showing what living form were composed of. Hooke remarked that cell is
looked strangely similar to Cellula or small room of monks, thus deriving the name.
However what Hooke actually saw was the dead cell walls of plant cells (cork) as it
appeared under the microscope. The cell walls observed by Hooke gave no indication
of nucleus and other organelles found in most living cells. The first man to witness a
live cell under the microscope was Antonvan Leeuwenhoek who in described the
Algae spirogyra. Van Leeuwenhoek Probably also saw the bacteria.
4.2 Formulation of Cell Theory

In 1838, Theodor Schwann and Matthias Schleiden were enjoying after-dinner
coffee and talking about their studies in cell. It has been suggested that when Schwann
heard Schleiden describe plant cells with nuclei, he was struck by the similarity of these
plant cells to cells he had observed in animal tissue. The two scientist went immediately
to Schwann’s lab to look at his slides Schwann published his book on animal and plant
cells (Schwann 1839) the next year, a treatise devoid of acknowledgements of anyone
else’s contribution, including that of Schleiden (1838). He summarized his observation
into three conclusions about cells:
➢ The cell is the unit of structure, physiology, and organization in living things.
➢ The cell retains a dual existence as a distinct entity and a building block in
the construction of organism.
➢ Cells form by free-cell formation, similar to the formation of crystals
(spontaneous generation)
We know today that the first two tenets are correct. But the third is clearly wrong. The
correct interpretation of cell formation by division was finally promoted by others and
formally enunciated in Rudolph Virchow’s powerful dictum. “Omnis cellula e cellula“
“All cells only arise from pre-existing cell”.
Modern Cell Theory
• All known living things are made up of cells.

• The cell is structural & functional unit of all living things.
• All cells come from pre-existing cells by division. (Spontaneous Generation
does not occur).
• Cells contains hereditary information which is passed from cell to cell during
cell division.
• All cells are basically the same in chemical composition.
• All energy flow (metabolism & biochemistry) of life occurs within cells.
As wish the rapid growth of molecular biology in the mid-20th century, cell biology research
exploded in 1950’s. It became possible to maintain, grow, and manipulate cells outside
of living organisms. The first continuous cell line to be cultured was in 1951 by George
Otto Grey and coworkers. Derived from cervical cancer cells taken from Henrietta Lacks,
who died from cancer in 1951. The cell line, which was eventually referred to as HeLa
cells. Have been the watershed in studying cell biology in the way that the structure of
DNA was the significant breakthrough of molecular biology.
In an avalanche of progress in the study of cells. The coming decade included the
characterization of the minimal media requirements for cells and development of sterile
cell culture techniques. It was also aided by the prior advances in electron microscopy.
and later advances such as development of transfection methods, discovery of green
fluorescent protein in jellyfish, and discovery of small interfering RNA (siRNA). Among
other.
4.3 Cell Discovery Timeline

1595 – Jansen credited with 1st compound microscope.
1655 – Hooke described “cell” in cork.
1674 – Leeuwenhoek discovered protozoa. He saw bacteria some 9 years later.
1833 – Brown described the cell nucleus in cells of the orchid.
1838 – Schleiden and Schwann proposed cell theory.
1840 – Albrecht von Roelliker realized that sperm cell and egg cell are also cells.
1856 – N. Pringshein observed how a sperm cell penetrated an egg cell.
1857 – Kolliker described mitochondria.
1858 – Rudolf Virchow expounds his famous conclusion: omnis cellula e cellula
that cell develop only from pre-existing cells.
1879 – Flemming describe chromosome behavior during mitosis
1883 – Germ cells are haploid, chromosome theory of heredity
1898 – Golgi described the Golgi apparatus.
1938 – Behrens used differential centrifugation to separate nuclei from cytoplasm.
1939 – Siemens produced the first commercial transmission electron microscope.
1952 – Gey and coworkers established a continuous human cell line.
1955 – Eagle systematically defined the nutritional needs of animal cells culture.
1957 – Meselson, Stahl and Vinograd developed density gradient centrifugation in
cesium chloride solutions for separating nucleic acid.
1965 – Ham introduced a defined serum-free medium. Cambridge instruments
produced the first commercial scanning electron microscope.
1976 – Sato and colleagues publish papers showing that different cell lines require
different mixtures of hormones and growth factors in serum-free medium.
1981 – Transgenic mice and fruits flies are produced. Mouse embryonic stem cell
line Established.
1995 – Tsien identifies mutant of GFP with enhanced spectral properties.
1998 – Mice are cloned from somatic cells.
1999 – Hamilton and Baulcombe discoverRNA as part of post-transcriptional gene
slicing (PTGS) in plants.
4.4 Cell Structure and Function

Cells are the basic building blocks of all living things. The human body is composed
of trillions of cells. They provide structure for the body, takes in nutrients from food,
convert those nutrients into energy and carry out specialized functions. Cells also contain
the body’s hereditary material and can make copies of themselves.
Cell have many parts each, with a different function. some of these parts are called
organelles, are specialized structure that perform certain task within the cell.
Nucleus
- Control Center of cell, Tells the cell what to do
-Contains Chromatin
- Long Strands of DNA
- DNA instruction manual
- Stores genetic info
Nucleolus
- Creates rRNA to make ribosomes
- Ribosomes =rRNA + Protein
- Sends mRNA to Ribosomes to make proteins
Rough Endoplasmic reticulum
- Contains ribosomes
-Production of proteins
-Transport proteins using vesicles
Smooth Endoplasmic reticulum

- No ribosomes
- Produces lipids, cholesterol& hormones
- Detoxification – breaks down toxin
Golgi Body/ Golgi Apparatus

- sort, modify, package and distribute cell products to where they are needed
- Receives vesicles & modifies proteins
- Adds lipids & Carbs
- Protein folding & Exportation
Mitochondria
- converts energy in food to s form usable to cell
-Generates Energy (ATP)
-Cellular Respiration
-Contains its own DNA
- also called the power house of the cell
Lysosome
- Rarely found in plant cell, if Animal cell have these parts to digest or breakdown
unneeded or trash materials, then plant cells must have a part that can do this
for them. Some biologist refers to them as plant Lysosomes or the small
vacuoles in plant cell.
Cytoplasm
- contains the cytosol, organelles, vesicles and cytoskeleton
- Jelly like fluid
- Contains Dissolved solutes
Microtubules
-Largest of the 3 fibers
-Made up of tubulin
-Structural support & transportation
Microfilament
-Smallest network fibers
-Made up of actin
-Elongation and contraction
- Intermediate Filaments
-Provide mechanical support
Centrioles
- Can only be found in animal cell, located near the nucleus. They help organized
structures during cell division.
Vacuole
- are easily seen in plant because of their size. Since water also collects in the
vacuoles, it pushes out into the cell wall producing turgor pressure maintains
crispness of fresh vegetables.
-in animals’ vacuoles are smaller and are called by biologist as vesicles
Cell Membrane
- it is Semipermeable because it permits some substances but prevent others to
pass through
- Contains proteins channels
- Consist of phospholipids bilayer

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General Biology 1 Page 1 of 6

Introduction to the Cell and Its Structure

Introduction to the Cell and Its Structure

WELCOME STEM STUDENTS!!

1.1 Historical Perspective of Cell

4.2 Formulation of Cell Theory

Modern Cell Theory

• All known living things are made up of cells.

4.3 Cell Discovery Timeline

slicing (PTGS) in plants.

4.4 Cell Structure and Function

Smooth Endoplasmic reticulum

Golgi Body/ Golgi Apparatus

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