ANIMAL CELL STRUCTURE

Zootech2 LECTURE Prepared by: Vernadyn A. Morillo, DVM, PhD

 Animal cells are typical of the eukaryotic
cell, enclosed by a plasma membrane and
containing a membrane-bound nucleus and
organelles.
 Most cells, both animal and plant, range in
size between 1 and 100 micrometers and are
thus visible only with the aid of a
microscope.
 The lack of a rigid cell wall allowed animals to
develop a greater diversity of cell types, tissues,
and organs.
 Specialized cells that formed nerves and muscles—
tissues impossible for plants to evolve—gave these
organisms mobility.
 The ability to move about by the use of specialized
muscle tissues is a hallmark of the animal world,
though a few animals, primarily sponges, do not
possess differentiated tissues.
 Notably, protozoans locomote, but it is only via
nonmuscular means, in effect, using cilia, flagella,
and pseudopodia.
History
 Cells were discovered in 1665 by British
scientist Robert Hooke who first observed
them in his crude (by today's standards)
seventeenth century optical microscope.
 Hooke coined the term "cell", in a biological
context, when he described the microscopic
structure of cork like a tiny, bare room or
monk's cell.
 The microscope has been a fundamental tool
in the field of cell biology and is often used
to observe living cells in culture.
Centrioles
 Centrioles are self-replicating organelles
made up of nine bundles of microtubules and
are found only in animal cells. They appear
to help in organizing cell division, but aren't
essential to the process.
Cilia and Flagella
 For single-celled eukaryotes, cilia and
flagella are essential for the locomotion of
individual organisms.
 In multicellular organisms, cilia function to
move fluid or materials past an immobile cell
as well as moving a cell or group of cells.
Endoplasmic Reticulum
 The endoplasmic reticulum is a network of
sacs that manufactures, processes, and
transports chemical compounds for use
inside and outside of the cell.
 It is connected to the double-layered
nuclear envelope, providing a pipeline
between the nucleus and the cytoplasm.
Micrograph of rough endoplasmic reticulum network around the nucleus
(shown in lower right-hand side of the picture). Dark small circles in the
network are mitochondria
Endosomes and Endocytosis
 Endosomes are membrane-bound vesicles,
formed via a complex family of processes
collectively known as endocytosis, and found in
the cytoplasm of virtually every animal cell.
 The basic mechanism of endocytosis is the
reverse of what occurs during exocytosis or
cellular secretion.
 It involves the invagination (folding inward) of
a cell's plasma membrane to surround
macromolecules or other matter diffusing
through the extracellular fluid.
Golgi Apparatus
 The Golgi apparatus is the distribution and
shipping department for the cell's chemical
products.
 It modifies proteins and fats built in the
endoplasmic reticulum and prepares them
for export to the outside of the cell
Intermediate Filaments
 Intermediate filaments are a very broad
class of fibrous proteins that play an
important role as both structural and
functional elements of the cytoskeleton.
 Ranging in size from 8 to 12 nanometers,
intermediate filaments function as tension-
bearing elements to help maintain cell shape
and rigidity.
Lysosomes
 The main function of these microbodies is
digestion.
 Lysosomes break down cellular waste
products and debris from outside the cell
into simple compounds, which are
transferred to the cytoplasm as new cell-
building materials.
Microfilaments
 Microfilaments are solid rods made of
globular proteins called actin.
 These filaments are primarily structural in
function and are an important component of
the cytoskeleton.
Microtubules
 These straight, hollow cylinders are found
throughout the cytoplasm of all eukaryotic
cells (prokaryotes don't have them) and
carry out a variety of functions, ranging
from transport to structural support.
Mitochondria
 Mitochondria are oblong shaped organelles
that are found in the cytoplasm of every
eukaryotic cell.
 In the animal cell, they are the main power
generators, converting oxygen and nutrients
into energy.
Two mitochondria from mammalian lung tissue displaying their matrix and
membranes as shown by electron microscopy
Illustration of a mitochondrion
Nucleus
 The nucleus is a highly specialized organelle
that serves as the information processing
and administrative center of the cell.
 This organelle has two major functions: it
stores the cell's hereditary material, or
DNA, and it coordinates the cell's activities,
which include growth, intermediary
metabolism, protein synthesis, and
reproduction (cell division).
Photomicrograph of nucleus and nucleolus
Nucleolus
 The nucleolus (plural nucleoli) is a non-
membrane bound structure composed of
proteins and nucleic acids found within the
nucleus.
 Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is transcribed and
assembled within the nucleolus.
Peroxisomes
 Microbodies are a diverse group of
organelles that are found in the cytoplasm,
roughly spherical and bound by a single
membrane.
 There are several types of microbodies but
peroxisomes are the most common.
Plasma Membrane
 All living cells have a plasma membrane that
encloses their contents.
 In prokaryotes, the membrane is the inner
layer of protection surrounded by a rigid
cell wall.
 Eukaryotic animal cells have only the
membrane to contain and protect their
contents.
 These membranes also regulate the passage
of molecules in and out of the cells.
Ribosomes
 All living cells contain ribosomes, tiny
organelles composed of approximately 60
percent RNA and 40 percent protein.
 In eukaryotes, ribosomes are made of four
strands of RNA. In prokaryotes, they
consist of three strands of RNA.