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Chapter 6 A Tour of The Cell

DNA, cell membranes, and ribosomes reveal evolutionary unity between all living things as they contain the same basic structures. Specialized cellular modifications are observed between plant and animal cells, such as lysosomes and centrosomes in animal cells and chloroplasts and central vacuoles in plant cells. Hemoglobin and hemocyanin are examples of specialized protein modifications in different organisms for oxygen transport.

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Mohammad Mahrus Bin Ashfaq
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50 views

Chapter 6 A Tour of The Cell

DNA, cell membranes, and ribosomes reveal evolutionary unity between all living things as they contain the same basic structures. Specialized cellular modifications are observed between plant and animal cells, such as lysosomes and centrosomes in animal cells and chloroplasts and central vacuoles in plant cells. Hemoglobin and hemocyanin are examples of specialized protein modifications in different organisms for oxygen transport.

Uploaded by

Mohammad Mahrus Bin Ashfaq
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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7.

EVOLUTION CONNECTION (a) What cell structures best reveal evolutionary


unity? (b) Give an example of diversity related to specialized cellular
modifications.
Answer:

A) DNA is one of the best examples of evolutionary unity. Every living thing on this
planet has the same nitrogenous base for DNA. Hence the same DNA (obviously
the nucleotides are sequenced differently) is used to perform cellular functions.
Another example is Cell membrane and ribosomes. Both eukaryotic and
prokaryotic cells contain them. This shows that all living organisms must have
come from a common ancestor and through millennials they evolved and
branched off. However the fact that different classes of organisms still share
some common organelles and characteristics(DNA, cell membrane and
ribosomes) proves evolutionary unity.

B) Examples of specialized cellular modifications can be observed between plant


and animal cells. Animal cells contain Lysosomes and centrosomes which are
only specific to animals and plants do not have them. Similarly only plant cells
contain chloroplasts and central vacuole. Furthermore, we can also observe
specialized cellular modifications between organisms. For instance, the majority
of the vertebrates carry hemoglobin that contains iron and helps to carry and
transport oxygen. However a few organisms like the horseshoe crabs and
octopuses have hemocyanin which uses copper to carry oxygen molecules and
gives their blood a distinct blue color instead of red. All of these shows how
different organisms evolved separately and how their cells have been modified.

8. SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY Imagine protein X, destined to span the plasma


membrane; assume the mRNA carrying the genetic message for protein X has
been translated by ribosomes in a cell culture. If you fractionate the cells (see
Figure 6.4), in which fraction would you find protein X? Explain by describing its
transit.
Answer: The imaginary protein first needs to have its corresponding mRNA. The mRNA
will then travel through the pores of the nucleus envelope and then go through the
ribosomes that are attached to the endoplasmic reticulum. tRNA will then read the
mRNA nucleotide bases and combine specific amino acids according to the bases
essentially creating a primary structure protein, in this case it will be protein X. It is
important to note that the protein is not in the cytosol, it is inside the rough endoplasmic
reticulum. The protein will then be carried to the cis side of the golgi apparatus via a
transport vesicle, where it will coalesce to form new cis golgi cisternae. The cisternae
will travel in a cis-to-trans direction maturing and further developing the protein along
the way. Then the protein will leave the Golgi complex and go to the cell membrane via
a secretory vesicle that fuses with the plasma membrane, thus being finally embedded
in the lipid bilayer. Since our protein is attached to the cell membrane, we would find our
protein at stage 3, which is 80,000g for 60 minutes. Because according to the chart at
figure 6.4, the pieces of plasma membranes and cells’ internal membranes are found at
the 3rd stage.

9. WRITE ABOUT A THEME: ORGANIZATION Write a short essay (100–150 words)


on this topic: Life is an emergent property that appears at the level of the cell.
(See Concept 1.1.)
Answer: Emergence occurs when an entity is observed to have properties its parts do
not have on their own, properties or behaviors that emerge only when the parts interact
in a wider whole. Life is an emergent property as a result of interactions that occur on the
cellular level. At its core, inside the cells all the organelles are different. Yet they all need
to work together to make life possible. Any one of the organelles on its own cannot
sustain life. DNA’s on their own are useless, if there are no ribosomes to convert the
genetic code into protein. Similarly proteins on their own are useless if there are no
vesicles to carry them to the right place. The cells are only complete when all the
organelles are present and working together to sustain it. And life is only complete when
all the cells are working together to sustain life.

10. SYNTHESIZE YOUR KNOWLEDGEThe cells in this SEM are epithelial cells
from the small intestine. Discuss how their cellular structure contributes to their
specialized functions of nutrient absorption and as a barrier between the
intestinal contents and the blood supply on the other side of the sheet of
epithelial cells.
Answer: The epithelial cells in the intestine have special characteristics. The first
specialized function is nutrient absorption. The plasma membranes of epithelial cells in
the small intestine are folded, creating projections called micro Valli. This increases the
surface area, which is facing the inside of the intestine and allows for more absorption
of nutrients. It also acts as a barrier between the actual food contents and the blood.
The epithelial cells achieve this via cell junctions. In animals, there are three main types
of cell junctions: tight junctions, desmosomes, and gap junctions. All three types of cell
junctions are especially common in epithelial tissue, which lines the external
and internal surfaces of the body. At tight junctions, the plasma membranes of
neighboring cells are very tightly pressed against each other, bound together by specific
proteins. Forming continuous seals around the cells, tight junctions establish a barrier
that prevents leakage of extracellular fluid across a layer of epithelial cells. Gap
junctions consist of membrane proteins extending from the membranes of the two cells.
Gap junctions are necessary for communication between cells in many types of tissues,
such as heart muscle, intestine and in animal embryos.

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