Scribd
Upload
37 views

Cells, Tissues, Glands and Membranes Cell, in Biology, The Basic Membrane-Bound Unit That Contains The Fundamental Molecules of Life and

- Cells are the basic units of life, containing organelles and membranes that allow for metabolism, molecule synthesis, energy production, and replication. As individual units, some cells can function independently as single-celled organisms, while in multicellular organisms cells become specialized to perform different functions. - Cells contain organelles like the nucleus, mitochondria, lysosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi apparatus. The nucleus contains genetic material and plant cells also contain chloroplasts for photosynthesis. Between organelles is cytosol containing the cytoskeleton and molecules for biosynthesis. - Cells ingest molecules and use enzyme catalysts to chemically alter molecules for cell growth and replication. Through cycles of growth and division,

Uploaded by

Kristhine Abegail Manangan-Gamiao
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
37 views

Cells, Tissues, Glands and Membranes Cell, in Biology, The Basic Membrane-Bound Unit That Contains The Fundamental Molecules of Life and

- Cells are the basic units of life, containing organelles and membranes that allow for metabolism, molecule synthesis, energy production, and replication. As individual units, some cells can function independently as single-celled organisms, while in multicellular organisms cells become specialized to perform different functions. - Cells contain organelles like the nucleus, mitochondria, lysosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi apparatus. The nucleus contains genetic material and plant cells also contain chloroplasts for photosynthesis. Between organelles is cytosol containing the cytoskeleton and molecules for biosynthesis. - Cells ingest molecules and use enzyme catalysts to chemically alter molecules for cell growth and replication. Through cycles of growth and division,

Uploaded by

Kristhine Abegail Manangan-Gamiao
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

CELLS, TISSUES, GLANDS AND MEMBRANES

Cell, in biology, the basic membrane-bound unit that contains the fundamental molecules of life and
of which all living things are composed. A single cell is often a complete organism in itself, such as
a bacterium or yeast. Other cells acquire specialized functions as they mature. These cells cooperate
with other specialized cells and become the building blocks of large multicellular organisms, such
as humans and other animals. Although cells are much larger than atoms, they are still very small.
The smallest known cells are a group of tiny bacteria called mycoplasmas; some of these single-
celled organisms are spheres as small as 0.2 μm in diameter (1μm = about 0.000039 inch), with a
total mass of 10−14 gram—equal to that of 8,000,000,000 hydrogen atoms. Cells of humans typically
have a mass 400,000 times larger than the mass of a single mycoplasma bacterium, but
even human cells are only about 20 μm across. It would require a sheet of about 10,000 human cells
to cover the head of a pin, and each human organism is composed of more than 75,000,000,000,000
cells.

Cells are the basic units of life. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.


This article discusses the cell both as an individual unit and as a contributing part of a larger
organism. As an individual unit, the cell is capable of metabolizing its own nutrients, synthesizing
many types of molecules, providing its own energy, and replicating itself in order to produce
succeeding generations. It can be viewed as an enclosed vessel, within which innumerable chemical
reactions take place simultaneously. These reactions are under very precise control so that they
contribute to the life and procreation of the cell. In a multicellular organism, cells become
specialized to perform different functions through the process of differentiation. In order to do this,
each cell keeps in constant communication with its neighbors. As it receives nutrients from and
expels wastes into its surroundings, it adheres to and cooperates with other cells. Cooperative
assemblies of similar cells form tissues, and a cooperation between tissues in turn forms organs,
which carry out the functions necessary to sustain the life of an organism.
Special emphasis is given in this article to animal cells, with some discussion of the energy-
synthesizing processes and extracellular components peculiar to plants. (For detailed discussion of
the biochemistry of plant cells, see photosynthesis. For a full treatment of the genetic events in the
cell nucleus, see heredity.)
The Nature And Function Of Cells
A cell is enclosed by a plasma membrane, which forms a selective barrier that allows nutrients to
enter and waste products to leave. The interior of the cell is organized into many specialized
compartments, or organelles, each surrounded by a separate membrane. One major organelle,
the nucleus, contains the genetic information necessary for cell growth and reproduction. Each cell
contains only one nucleus, whereas other types of organelles are present in multiple copies in the
cellular contents, or cytoplasm. Organelles include mitochondria, which are responsible for the
energy transactions necessary for cell survival; lysosomes, which digest unwanted materials within
the cell; and the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus, which play important roles in the
internal organization of the cell by synthesizing selected molecules and then processing, sorting,
and directing them to their proper locations. In addition, plant cells contain chloroplasts, which are
responsible for photosynthesis, whereby the energy of sunlight is used to convert molecules
of carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) into carbohydrates. Between all these organelles is the
space in the cytoplasm called the cytosol. The cytosol contains an organized framework of fibrous
molecules that constitute the cytoskeleton, which gives a cell its shape, enables organelles to move
within the cell, and provides a mechanism by which the cell itself can move. The cytosol also
contains more than 10,000 different kinds of molecules that are involved in cellular biosynthesis,
the process of making large biological molecules from small ones.

Animal cells and plant cells contain membrane-bound organelles, including a distinct nucleus. In
contrast, bacterial cells do not contain organelles.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Specialized organelles are a characteristic of cells of organisms known as eukaryotes. In contrast,
cells of organisms known as prokaryotes do not contain organelles and are generally smaller than
eukaryotic cells. However, all cells share strong similarities in biochemical function.
Cutaway drawing of a eukaryotic cell.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
The molecules of cells
Cells contain a special collection of molecules that are enclosed by a membrane. These molecules
give cells the ability to grow and reproduce. The overall process of cellular reproduction occurs in
two steps: cell growth and cell division. During cell growth, the cell ingests certain molecules from
its surroundings by selectively carrying them through its cell membrane. Once inside the cell, these
molecules are subjected to the action of highly specialized, large, elaborately folded molecules
called enzymes. Enzymes act as catalysts by binding to ingested molecules and regulating the rate
at which they are chemically altered. These chemical alterations make the molecules more useful to
the cell. Unlike the ingested molecules, catalysts are not chemically altered themselves during the
reaction, allowing one catalyst to regulate a specific chemical reaction in many molecules.

Cells ingest molecules through their plasma membranes.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.


Biological catalysts create chains of reactions. In other words, a molecule chemically transformed
by one catalyst serves as the starting material, or substrate, of a second catalyst and so on. In this
way, catalysts use the small molecules brought into the cell from the outside environment to create
increasingly complex reaction products. These products are used for cell growth and the replication
of genetic material. Once the genetic material has been copied and there are sufficient molecules to
support cell division, the cell divides to create two daughter cells. Through many such cycles of cell
growth and division, each parent cell can give rise to millions of daughter cells, in the process
converting large amounts of inanimate matter into biologically active molecules.

You might also like