General Biology 1

Bio 1 Lecture Unit 3

Unit 3
THE CELL AS THE BASIC UNIT OF LIFE
A. THE CELL THEORY

1665 Robert Hooke First to used the term cell (Used liver in his
experiments)
1667 Anton van Leeuwenhoek Developed a single lens microscope and
used microorganisms
1838 Matthias Schleiden Plants
1839 Theodor Schwann Animals
1858 Rudolf Virchow omnis cellula, e cellula

Schleiden and Schwann gave an incorrect definition of cellular reproduction. It was

Virchow who gave the correct definition, “All cells from cells.”

Tenets of the Cell theory

1. All organisms are composed of cell
2. Cell is the basic living unit of organization for all organisms
3. All cells arise from pre-existing cells.

B. PROKARYOTIC VERSUS EUKARYOTIC CELL

Common Features:
a. Plasma membrane
b. Nuclear region (DNA): informational nucleus
c. Ribosomes
d. Cytosol:
* Cytoplasm is beyond the nucleus region.
Cytosol + Organelle = Cytoplasm

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 General Biology 1
Bio 1 Lecture Unit 3

CRITERIA PROKARYOTES EUKARYOTES

1. Size 1 – 10 μm 10 μm+
Bacteria Protists, Fungi,
2. Members
(Eubacteria, Archaea) Plant, Animals
3. Complexity Less More
4. Membrane bound
Absent Present
organelles
Nucleoid
5. Location of DNA True Nucleus
(Immitating nucleus)
6. Organization Unicellular Unicellular/ Multicellular
7. Cell Division Fission Mitosis/ Meiosis
8. Cytoskeleton Absent Present

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 General Biology 1
Bio 1 Lecture Unit 3

C. CELL PARTS AND ORGANELLES: PARTS AND FUNCTIONS

(For more info, please use handout)

I. Prokaryotes

1. Cell Wall: a rigid framework

2. Capsule: amorphous envelope; used by disease causing organisms
3. Plasma Membrane: semi – permeable lipid bilayer
a. Mesosome: enzyme for respiration
b. Photosynthetic lamellae: enzyme for photosynthesis
4. Flagella (Flagellum): thin rigid curved rods made of proteins
5. Pili (Pilus): rod like protein; has fimbriae for attachment/ to adhere
6. Nuclear Zone or Nucleoid: single large molecule of double stranded circular
DNA
7. Ribosomes: dense particles scattered in the cytoplasm; has large 50S, small
30S = 70S complex
8. Storage Granules: consists of nitrogen stores or sugar polymers
9. Cytosol: soluble portion of cytoplasm

Botox, or botulinum toxin used Clostridium botulinum. It uses neurotoxin, which

paralyzes face to avoid showing aging or frown lines.

II. Eukaryotes

1. Plant Cell Wall: found in fungi and plants; a thick rigid material composed of
cellulose microfibrils cemented together by an embedding matrix of
hemicellulose, pectin and extensin
2. Plasmodesmata: opening in plant cell walls; bridges
3. Cell Coat: found at the periphery of some animal cells
a. Mucopolysaccharides
b. Glycolipids
c. Glycoproteins
4. Plasma Membrane: a semi permeable lipid bilayer
5. Nucleus: “Kernel”
a. Nuclear Envelope: a double membrane
b. Chromatin: complex of DNA and histone proteins
c. Nucleolus: spherical RNA rich region in the nucleus of non dividing cells
6. Ribosomes: has large 60S, small 40S = 80S complex. It has two population with
the same structure and function: free (Cytosol) and attached ribosomes (ER).
7. Endoplasmic Reticulum: entensive membranous network of tubules and sacs,
cisternae, with internal lumen called cisternal space.
a. Rough ER: flat, has cytosolic sides; studded with ribosomes
b. Smooth ER: tubular membrane; synthesis of lipids
8. Golgi Apparatus: found by Mr. Camilo Golgi
Two Distinct Polarity
a. Cis face (forming face): receives product; Near ER
b. Trans face (maturing face): transport

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 General Biology 1
Bio 1 Lecture Unit 3

Three Processes:
a. Processing
b. Packaging (with vesicles)
c. Sorting (of products)
d.
9. Microbodies: heterogeneous group of organelles containing enzymes for
oxidation.
 Peroxisomes: contain flavin oxidases and catalases. It is involed in the
breaking of fatty acids, participates in photorespiration, produces H2O2
and has a catalyst. It can be found in both plant and animals bound
by a single membrane
 Glyoxisomes: a transient organelle; found only in plants; contain
enzymes for glyoxylate cycle aside from peroxisomal enzymes
10. Lysosomes: in animal cells only; bound by a single membrane enclosed bags
of hydrolytic enzymes; involved in pahgocytosis
11. Plant Vacuoles: “lysosome like”, big in mature plants’ enclosed by a single
membrane called tonoplast.
12. Mitochondria: an autonomous double membrane region; has outer and inner
with infoldings (cristae); has own DNA and ribosomes, involved in protein
synthesis
a. Outer membrane
b. Inner membrane
c. Intermembrane space
d. Matrix: Compartment
13. Plastids: a group of organelle in plants
a. Amyloplasts: colorless, found in roots and tubers
b. Chromoplasts: plastid with pigment other than chlorophyll
c. Chloroplasts: has own DNA and ribosomes, plastid containing
chlorophyll and sites of photosynthesis
i. Outer and inner membrane: no infoldings
ii. Intermembrane space
iii. Thylakoids: where chlorophyll are localized
Grana: stacks of thylakoids
iv. Stroma: viscous fluis outside the thylakoid; where Calvin Cycle
occurs
14. Cytosol: comprises 55% of the cell
15. Cytoskeleton: a networl of fibers throughout the cytoplasm
a. Microfilaments: composed of actin
b. Intermediate Filaments: composed of five proteins
c. Microtubules: constructed from globular protein tubulin
16. Centrioles: in the centrosome, made of microtubules; participates in spindle
fiber formation in animal cells
17. Cilia and Flagella: locomotor organelles

Plant cells have chloroplasts and large vacuoles

The antibiotic Penicillin has a bactericidal effect: inhibition of cell wall synthesis and cross linking of peptide chains on the chains
Streptococcus Pneumoniae has a capsule, which has the ability to resist phagocytosis by macrophages, an inititate membrane.

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 General Biology 1
Bio 1 Lecture Unit 3

D. TRANSPORT PROCESSES IN CELLS

1. CELL MEMBRANES
a. Plasma Membrane: “edge of life”
b. Organelle Membrane: boundary

2. COMPONENTS: lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates

a. Lipid bilayer: phospholipids and cholesterol for stability
b. Proteins: integral or peripheral; has specific functions involved
c. Carbohydrates: glycolipid, glycoprotein; has the cell identity (e.g. Blood
Type)

3. FLUID MOSAIC MODEL

a. Fluid
 Not rigid
 Lateral movement
o Phospholipids: 2μm/sec
o Some proteins move more slowly, drift
b. Mosaic
 Collage of diff. proteins
o RBC plasma membrane: more than 50 kinds of protein
o Integral and peripheral
o Cholesterol in the lipid blayer
 Different Function
o Ex.: transport, cellular recognition

4. SELECTIVE PERMEABILITY
 Lipid bilayer hydrophobic core
o Permeable to hydrophobic molecules, water and carbon dioxide
o Impermeable to large molecules, ions (e.g. glucose, sodium ions)
 Proteins: hydrophilic substances can pass
o Transport protein very specific

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 General Biology 1
Bio 1 Lecture Unit 3

5. TRANSPORT OF SMALL MOLECULES

a. Passive: downhill flow
 No energy spent (ATP)
 Based upon the Concentration gradient, the
potential energy that drives diffusion

1. Simple Diffusion: down a concentration

gradient from more to less concentrated.
Ex.: Dissolved oxygen in cellular respiration

Osmosis: a special kind of diffusion.

 Passive transport of water
 Diffusion of water in a selectively
permeable membrane
 Ex.: In urinary tracts

2. Facilitated Diffusion:
 Polar molecules and ions
impeded by a lipid
bilayer
 Transport protein: integral
protein (carrier or
channel)
o Facilitates diffusion
o Allow glucose to
freely pass back
and forth across the membrane
 Subtle change in shape
 Translocates solute binding site from one side of the membrane
to the other.
 “Ping- Pong” Mechanism:
o Ping: Protein open to the outside
o Pong: open to the inside
Ex.: Glucose for large and diffuse across RBC plasma
membrane unaided.
 In liver cells, glycogen  glucose-1-phosphate glucose-6-
phosphate  free glucose
 Example Processes:
o Cells obtain glucose or food for cellular respiration
o Neurons communicate
o Small intestine cells transport food in the bloodstream

CYSTINURIA, a genetic defect in transport protein in kidney cells. Cystine is not returned to the blood
that cause painful stones.

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 General Biology 1
Bio 1 Lecture Unit 3

b. Active: Symport and antiport

 Cells expend own metabolic energy in
the form of ATP
 Uphill flow: against the concentration
gradient
 Ex.: Sodium Potassium Pump, osmotic
equilibrium from high [K+] to low [Na+]
 Transport Protein: Solute
o Change in conformation
o Solute translocation

DIFFUSION FACILITATED DIFFUSION ACTIVE TRANSPORT

Unassisted, across the lipid Thru the interior of a channel, or carrier Solute prepared than the interior of
bilayer protein; no energy boost required carrier protein; require energy

6. TRANSPORT OF LARGE MOLECULES

 Protein and polysaccharides
 Vesicles

a. Exocytosis: inside to outside

Golgi  Vesicle  plasma membrane  outside the cell
Ex.: Human excretory cells in pancreas: Insulin
Plant cells: carbohydrates for cell walls
Crying

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 General Biology 1
Bio 1 Lecture Unit 3

EXOCYTOSIS ENDOCYTOSIS
Vesicles move to plasma membrane, Out to in; vesicle forms at surface of plasma
fuses with it and contents released membrane, sinks into cytoplasm
outside

b. Endocytosis: from outside to inside

Plasma membrane  Vesicle  inside the cell

1. Phagocytosis: “cell eating”

Pseudopod (ia): plasma membrane extensions, false feet
Ex. WBC: phagocytize bacteria

2. Pinocytosis: “cell drinking”

Plasma membrane invagination  tiny vesicles
Extracellular fluid
Ex.: Epithelial cells of intestine and liver cells

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