ULTRA STRUCTURE OF CELL

Ref: 1. Cell & Molecular Biology Ch.1, Cell Theory & The Cell

HISTORY
Aristotle (384-322 BC) All animals & plants consists of certain structural units Robert Hooke (1665) term Cell derived from Greek words Kytos = Cell, Cella = Hollow space Observed cells first time in a piece of cork under a very primitive microscope. Grew & Malphigi Observed cells in the form of cavities with cellulose walls in different plants. Leeuwenhoek (1674) Discovered free cells & observed some organization within these cells. Cell Structural unit, unit of life. Cell theory Cell is the basic unit of life. Dutrochet gave the idea of cell theory. Schleiden M.I. German botanist (1839)- outlined the basic features of cell theory Schwann T. German zoologist R. Virchow (1858) Extended cell theory All living cells arise from pre-existing living cells. Earlier belief was spontaneous generation of life.

 Louis Pasteur gave experimental evidence to Virchows theory Two components of cell theory : i) Living things are composed of cells ii) All cells arise from pre-existing cells Large no.of sub-cellular structures have been discovered & studied. Cell is no longer a basic units of life, because life may exist without cells also

Exceptions to cell theory:

Viruses Infectious, sub-cellular & ultramicroscopic particle representing potentially Pathogenic agents which replicate in host cells. Animal & plant viruses, bacteriophages lack internal organization of a cell. Outside the cell they are just like non-living inert particle. Viruses, Mycoplasma, Viroids, Prions, Virusoids They dont fit in definition of a cell and described as living chemicals or cellular forms that have not reached a cellular state. Protozoa & Algae Dont fit in the definition of cell theory. Paramecium, a protozoan; Rhizopus, a fungus & in Vaucheria, an alga Living substance is enclosed in a wall &^ there is hardly any organization.

Cell shape:
Great amount of variability Amoeba & Leukocytes change their shapes frequently Bacteria Rods, Spirals, comma Algae Diatoms, Desmids Take varied shape Acetabularia Single celled alga stalk & cap

Multicellular organisms partly controlled by pressure of the cells exert against each other Cell shape may be based on function eg. Glandular hairs, guard cells, root hair cells. Stability to cell shape by cytoskeleton associated with inner surface of plasma membrane membrane skeleton

Cell size:
Varies greatly in various plants and animals Smaller cells bacteria, 0.2-5 (light microscope) Larger cells Egg of an ostrich 6 outside 3 when shell removed Cell size also depends on size & no.of chromosomes Volume increases as a cube of a radius, while surface area increases as a square of a radius Cell volume is constant for a cell type called Law of constant volume

Cell Number:
Single (unicellular) to 60,000 billion (human, 80 kg) No. of cells in most multicellular organisms is indefinite No. of cells is fixed in organisms like Pandorina (8, 16, 32 or 64 cells) & Eudorina (16, 32 or 64 cells)

Prokaryotic vs Eukaryotic cells

Prokaryotes with no organized nucleus eg. Bacteria, BGA Eukaryotes with organized nucleus & having nuclear envelope eg. Higher organisms Thermophile / Archaeon Bacteria Archaea Eukarya

Archaea Discovered in 1977, descibed as Archaebacteria Prokaryotes divided into Eubacteria & Archaebacteria Archaea is distinct from bacteria & eukaryotes Living cells are divided into Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya Conclusively proved in 1996, when genome of an archaeon Methanococcus jannaschii was fully sequenced & compared with sequence of genomes of bactria and eukaryotes

Feature 1 Cell size & organization 2 Organelles

Prokaryote 1-10 , unicellular Few or none

Eukaryote 5-100 , multicellular Nucleus, Mitochondria, Chloroplast, Endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus Linear organized in chromosomes bounded in a nucleus RNA synthesized & processed in nucleus and protein synthesized in cytoplasm Present

3 DNA 4 Synthesis of RNA & protein 5 Cytoskeleton

Circular/linear DNA in a nucleiod In same compartment Absent

6 Spindle apparatus in cell division

Absent, replicated DNA pulled by attachment to plasma membrane

Present, chromosome pulled by spindle apparatus

7 Metabolism

Anaerobic / Aerobic Aerobic

Novel features of archaeon:

i) 56% genes are new to science ii) Lives at temperature 48-94 C, pressure >200 atmosphere, autotroph utilizing CO2, N2 and H and produces methane. Oxygen kills it. iii) Some arhaeon genes resemble bacteria and others resemble eukaryotes and others completely new to science. Archael system is more like eukaryotic system Belief that common ancestor of all modern living creatures was a thermophile, which branched off >3.6 billion years ago into 3 life forms, prokaryotes, arhaea & eukarya

Eukaryotic cells
Eukaryotic cells are organized into compartments, cell organelles Nucleus controls all activities of cell Plastids involved in formation & storage of carbohydrates Mitochondria Power house of cell & supply energy Endoplasmic reticulum active role in protein synthesis & transport Ribosomes site of protein synthesis Endosomes Lysosomes rich in enzymes & lytic in nature Golgi bodies secretory in nature Peroxysome & Hydrogenosomes Centrosome organization & function of spindle apparatus Cytosol area of cell excluding all membrane bound cell organelles Organelles closed compartments Mitochondria & choloroplast have their own replicating machinery like nucleus and are independent DNA is found in them & their function is similar to nuclear DNA.