Cell Biology 1.1
Cell Biology 1.1
Cell Biology 1.1
Module 1: Cells
Objectives
The main objectives of this chapter are to acquaint the students about :
i) the history of cell theory;
ii) the exception to the theory;
iii) the cell morphology and cell sizes and shapes;
iv) the classification of cells and functional characteristics of cells.
Introduction
A cell is the smallest unit of all living organisms. Cells are the basic building blocks of all
organisms and organisms may be made of one cell (like bacteria) or multicellular made of
many cells (like a human). In multicellular organisms, several cells of one kind interconnect
with each other and perform a shared function to form tissues; several tissues combine to
form an organ; several organs make up an organ system and several organ systems function
together to form an organism.
Ludolph Christian Treviranus (1811) and Johann Jacob Paul Moldenhawer (1812) first
proposed the idea that cells were separable into individual units and in 1824, Henri Dutrochet
declared that "the cell is the fundamental element of organization". The cell theory was first
formulated based on two publications in the 1800s. The first one was by Matthias Jacob
Schleiden in 1838, in which he proposed that all plant tissues are made from cells. The
second one was in the following year (1839) by Theodor Schwann in a publication in which
he generalized the proposal to all living organisms stating that all animal tissues also are
made from cells. These generalizations by Schleiden and Schwann after subsequent
modifications were later came to be known as the cell theory.
The theory was further extended by subsequent discoveries by Karl Wilhelm von Nägeli who
showed that cells form by division of one cell into two and Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold
who extended the cell theory to protists in the 1840s. The third component of classical cell
theory was completed by Rudolf Virchow in 1858 with his generalization that all cells come
from pre-existing cells. Thus, Virchow along with Schleiden and Schwann are often credited
together for the formulation of the classical cell theory.
Classification of cells
Cells can be grouped into two broad categories- prokaryotic and eukaryotic based on their
complexcity:
1. Prokaryotes: Prokaryotic cells lack a well defined nucleus and other membrane-bound
organelles. The nuclear material commonly consists of a single chromosome lying in the
cytoplasm, called nucleoid. Prokaryotic cells are found in bacteria, cynobacteria (blue-green
algae) and Archaea.
2. Eukaryotes: Eukaryotic cells, on the other hand, have distinct nuclei bound by a nuclear
membrane and other membrane-bound organelles like mitochondria, chloroplasts, lysosomes,
rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum and vacuoles. They also possess organized
chromosomes which store genetic material. Eukaryotic cells include all other cells, such as
protista, fungal, plant and animal cells.
All living organisms (bacteria, blue green algae, plants and animals) are made of cells and
may contain one or many cells. Some organisms contain only one cell in their body and are
called unicellular organisms (e.g., bacteria, blue green algae, some algae, Protozoa, etc.).
while other organisms have many cells in their body and are called multicellular organisms
(e.g., fungi, most plants and animals).
Further, based on the kingdom into which they fall cells may be grouped as plant and animal
cells.
All living cells are complex biochemical systems and many features distinguish the cells
from non-living chemical systems. The features that distinguish cells from non-living systems
are:
1. Nutrition: The cells take up substances from the environment, transform the
substances from one form to another, releasing energy during the process and
eliminating waste products through the metabolism unlike non-living things.
2. Growth and multiplication: The cells are capable of directing their own division. As
a result of nutritional processes, a cell grows and divides, forming two daughter cells
through cell division.
3. Differentiation: Many cells can undergo changes in form or function in a process
called cellular differentiation. During cell differentiates, some substances and
specialized structures related to reproduction, dispersal or survival are formed that
were not previously present.
4. Signaling: Cells respond to chemical and physical stimuli from the external
environment and cells can also interact or communicate with other cells, usually by
means of signals or chemical messengers such as hormones, neurotransmitters,
growth factors.
5. Evolution: Unlike the nonliving systems, unicellular and multicellular organisms
evolve. During evolution, small heritable changes occur at low frequency in cells that
may influence the adaptation of the cell and result in the selection of organisms best
adapted to live in a particular environment.
Conclusion
Cells are the unit of structure, physiology, and organization in living organisms. The Cell
Theory provides the proof for the fact that that every living organism contains one or more
cells. The tenets of the modern cell theory states that all known living things are made of
cells, the cell is the structural and functional unit of all living things, all cells come from
preexisting cells by division, cells contain hereditary information, all cells have similar
chemical composition, and all energy flow (metabolism and biochemistry) of life occurs
within cells. Although all living organism are made of cells, cell differ variably in size, shape
and function across the living kingdoms.
Glossary
1. What is a cell?
Ans: A cell is the smallest structural and functional unit of all living organisms. Organisms
may be unicellular like bacteria (made of one cell) or multicellular like human (made of
many cells).
Ans: The cell theory was first formulated based on two publications in the 1800s. The first
one was by Matthias Jacob Schleiden in 1838, in which he proposed that all plant tissues are
made from cells. The second one was in the following year (1839) by Theodor Schwann in a
publication in which he generalized the proposal to all living organisms stating that
all animal tissues also are made from cells. These generalizations by Schleiden and Schwann
after subsequent modifications were later came to be known as the cell theory.
The theory was further extended by subsequent discoveries by Karl Wilhelm von Nägeli who
showed that cells form by division of one cell into two and Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold
who extended the cell theory to protists in the 1840s. The third component of classical cell
theory was completed by Rudolf Virchow in 1858 with his generalization that all cells come
from pre-existing cells. Thus, Virchow along with Schleiden and Schwann are often credited
together for the formulation of the classical cell theory.
3. What are the tenets of the modern cell theory?
Ans: The prokaryotic cells lack a well-defined nucleus and other membrane-bound
organelles. The nuclear material commonly consists of a single chromosome lying in the
cytoplasm, called nucleoid. Prokaryotic cells are found in bacteria, cynobacteria (blue-green
algae) and archaea.
Ans: The eukaryotic cells have distinct nuclei bound by a nuclear membrane and other
membrane-bound organelles like mitochondria, chloroplasts, lysosomes, rough and smooth
endoplasmic reticulum and vacuoles. They also possess organized chromosomes which store
genetic material. Eukaryotic cells include all other cells, such as protista, fungal, plant and
animal cells.
References
1. Lodish, H, Berk. A, Zipursky S.L, et al.,2000: Molecular Cell Biology, 4th edition,
Links
http://www.di.uq.edu.au/sparqglossary#b
https://micro.magnet.fsu.edu
https://cellbiology.med.unsw.edu.au