Cell Structure and Function

Prepared by Yousaf Khan

 History of Cell Theory
• mid 1600s – Anton van Leeuwenhoek
– Improved microscope, observed many living cells
• mid 1600s – Robert Hooke
– Observed many cells including cork cells
The Cell Theory
• Who developed the cell theory?
– Matthias Schleiden (1838): concluded that all plants
are composed of cells
– Theodor Schwann (1839): concluded that all animals
are composed of cells
– Rudolph Virchow (1855): determined that cells come
only from other cells
 Cell Theory
1. All organisms consist of 1 or more cells.
2. Cell is the smallest unit of life.
3. All cells come from pre-existing cells.
Light microscope
• Specimen preparation normally takes a few minutes to few hours
• Live or dead specimens may be seen
• Light rays are used to illuminate the specimen
• Light microscope has low resolving power i.e., below 0.25 μm to 0.30 μm.
• It has a useful magnification of 500x to 1500x.
• In light microscope the image formation depends upon of light absorption
in different zones of the objects.
Electron Microscopes
• Specimen preparation often takes several days
• Only dead and dried specimens can be seen
• Good surface details (SEM) or internal details (TEM) can be seen.
• Electron beam produced by the cathode is used
• Electron microscope has high resolving power i.e., about 250 times more
than light microscope. Thus it can resolve down to 0.0001 μm.
• EM has direct magnification as high as 160,000x and photographic
magnification is 1000,000x or more
• In electron microscope, it is due to electron scattering
Eukaryotes vs. Prokaryotes
Eukaryotes (animals, plants, fungi, protozoa) and
prokaryotes (bacteria) differ greatly in
structure.
 Prokaryotes Eukaryotes

nucleus? NO (nucleoid) YES

membrane-
NO YES (Many)
bound
size 1 - 10 mm 10 - 50 mm

cytoplasm? YES YES

cell membrane? YES YES

cell wall? Some Do Plants

ribosomes? YES YES

Circular
DNA? Chromosomes in Nucleus
Free Floating
Plants, Animals, Fungi,
examples Bacteria
and Protists
General characteristics of cell
• Needs nutrition and oxygen
• Produce its own energy
• Eliminates carbon dioxide and other metabolic waste.
• Maintains the medium
• Show immediate response to the entry of invaders like bacteria or toxic
substance into body.
• Reproduces by division.
Cell Structure
The Structure and Function of the following organelles will be discussed:
– Cell Membrane
– Nucleus
– Cell Wall
– Cytoplasm
– Cytoskeleton
– Ribosomes
– Endoplasmic Reticulum
– Golgi Apparatus
– Mitochondria
– Lysosomes
– Peroxisomes
– Cilia and Flagella
– Centrioles
– Vacuoles
– Plastids
Cell Membrane
• Protective sheath
• Protein (55%), lipid (40%) and carbohydrates (5%)
• Structure: phospholipid bilayer with proteins
• Selective permeability, absorptive function, excretory
function
• Exchanges of gases and maintenance of shape and size
of the cell
Cell Wall
• Structure: rigid wall made up of cellulose, proteins, and
carbohydrates
• Function: boundary around the plant cell outside of the
cell membrane that provides structure and support
Cytoplasm
• Structure: gelatin-like fluid that lies inside the cell membrane
• Function: -contains salts, minerals and organic molecules
-surrounds the organelles
Endoplasmic Reticulum
• Structure: a system of membranous tubules and sacs
• Function: intercellular highway (a path along which molecules move from
one part of the cell to another)
• Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum
 Synthesis of proteins and degradation of worn out organelles

 Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum

 Synthesis of lipids and steroids, role in cellular metabolism, storage and
metabolism of calcium and catabolism and detoxification of toxic
substance.
Golgi Apparatus
• Involved in the processing of protein, present in all cell
except RBC.
• Golgi body consists of 5 to 8 flattened membranous sac
– sisternea.
• Function: processing, packaging, labeling and delivery of
protein and lipids
Lysosomes
• Formed by golgi apparatus, thickest covering membrane.
• Hydrolytic enzyme
• Primary lysosome- inactive lysosome
• Secondary lysosomes – active lysosomes
• Function: degradation of macromolecules, degradation of worn – out
organelles, removal of excess of secretory product and secretion of
perforin, granzymes, melanin and serotonin
Peroxisomes
• Microbodies are pinched off from endoplasmic reticulum
• Contain some oxidative enzymes such as catalase, urate oxidase and D-
amino acid oxidase.
• Function: breakdown of excess fatty acids, detoxification of hydrogen
peroxide and other metabolic products, oxygen utilization, acceleration of
gloconeogenesis, degradation of purine to uric acid, role in the formation
of myelin, role in the formation of bile acids.
Centrioles
• Structure: composed of nine sets of triplet microtubules
arranged in a ring
– Exist in pairs
• Function: centrioles play a major role in cell division (mitosis)
Mitochondria
• Structure: folded membrane within an outer membrane
– The folds of the inner membrane are called cristae
• Function: production of energy, synthesis of ATP and initiation
of apoptosis
• Other function of mitochondria include storage of calcium
and detoxification of ammonia in liver
Ribosomes
• With out limiting membrane, granular and small dot- like structure with
diameter of 15 nm.
• 35% protein and 65% ribonucleic acid.
• Attached to rough endoplasmic reticulum, free ribosomes
• Function: synthesis of protein
Cytoskeleton
• Structure: a network of thin, fibrous elements made up of
microtubules (hollow tubes) and microfilaments (threads
made out of actin)
• Function: -acts as a support system for organelles
-maintains cell shape
Nucleus
• Structure: the nucleus is a sphere that contains another
sphere called a nucleolus
• Function: control of all activities of the cell, synthesis of
RNA, sending genetic instruction to cytoplasm for protein
synthesis, formation of subunits of ribosomes, control of
cell division and storage of hereditary information in
genes (DNA)
Cilia and Flagella
• Structure: hair-like organelles that extend from the surface of cells
– When they are present in large numbers on a cell they are called
cilia
– When they are less numerous and longer they are called flagella
– Both organelles are composed of nine pairs of microtubules
arranged around a central pair.
• Function: cell motility
Vacuoles
• Structure: a sac of fluid surrounded by a membrane
– Very large in plants
• Function: used for temporary storage of wastes,
nutrients, and water
Plastids
• There are three types of plastids in plant cells:
– Chloroplasts (discussed on next slide)
– Chromoplasts: synthesize and store pigments
– Leucoplasts: store food such as starches, proteins,
and lipids
Leucoplasts
Chromoplasts
Chloroplasts
• Structure: stacked sacs (thylakoids) that contain
chlorophyll surrounded by a double membrane
• Function: photosynthesis (conversion of light energy to
chemical energy stored in the bonds of glucose)
Plant Cells vs. Animal Cells
• Animal cells are very similar to plant cells except for the
following major differences:
– Animal cells do not contain chloroplasts
– Animal cells are not surrounded by cell walls
– The vacuoles in plants are much larger than those of
animals