MICROSCOP

E
CELL

Maria Belen Y. Gusto,

PhD
A theory is a set of propositions describing
the operation and causes of natural
phenomena. Cell theory describes where the
term cell, and the other basic information
about the cell came from.
Cell is the basic unit of life. It is the building
block of all organisms. There are organisms
that are made up of only one cell called
unicellular organisms. Others are
composed of many cells known as
multicellular organisms. But, even the
life of a very huge multicellular organism
begins with a single cell – a sperm cell and
an egg cell.
The idea about the cell came up as a result of
different studies conducted by several biologists
from different countries of the world for about 300
years. A few of these significant studies are as
follows:
Hans and Zacharias Jansen, Dutch inventors,
made the first simple microscope in 1590.
➢Robert Hooke, an Englishman, gave the term
“cell” -like structures observed in a for the box-like
structures observed in a cork tissue under the
microscope in 1667.
Around 1675, Anton van Leeuwenhoek, a Dutch
naturalist, observed sperm cells, red blood cells,
bacteria, and other microscopic organisms in
rainwater after his invention of a more powerful
microscope. A nucleus was observed within some of
the red blood cells.
Matthias Schleiden, a German botanist,
studied plant structures under the
microscope. In 1838, he stated that all
plants are composed of cells.

In 1839, it was concluded that all animals

are composed of cells by Theodore Schwann, a
German zoologist. He studied on animal tissues.
Jointly, Schleiden and Schwann proposed that all
living things are made up of cells.

Roughly, 20 years later, in 1855, Rudolf Virchow,

a German biologist, observed dividing cells
during his work. Such observation made him
conclude that all living cells come from preexisting
cells.
Eventually, unifying all the discoveries
and other advanced studies
conducted, the cell theory was
formulated stating that:
1. All living things are structurally
made up of cells.

2. The cell is the fundamental unit of

life.

3. Cells come from the division of

preexisting cells.
The study of cell which started from the
invention of simple microscope until the
development of cell theory was conducted
for about 300 years by several scientists.

From then on, further developments and

many technologies were made that had
helped humanity.
All cells have three main parts: the cell
membrane or plasma membrane,
cytoplasm, and nucleus.
Cell membrane separates the internal
contents of the cell from its environment. It
is a phospholipid bilayer with proteins
embedded in it. As a selectively permeable
membrane, some substances can readily
pass through it while others cannot. The
three major functions performed by
the cell membrane are as follows:
(1)separates the contents of the cell from
its environment,
(2)regulates the passage of materials in and
out of the cell, and
(3)permits communication with other cells.
The whole region within the cell membrane
is the cytoplasm. Organelles are
found and perform their functions in the
jelly-like substance called cytosol. Various
metabolic reactions like protein synthesis
and breakdown of sugar into ATP take place
in the cytoplasm. Other organic materials
are found in the cytoplasm such as glucose
and other simple sugars, polysaccharides,
amino acids, nucleic acids, fatty acids, etc.
Sodium, potassium, and calcium ions are
also dissolved in the cytoplasm. Centrioles,
cytoskeleton, and plastids are the
specialized organelles in the cytoplasm.
Nucleus is the third main part of the cell. It
is generally oval in shape, covered with a
nuclear membrane or envelope. It is the
control center of the cell that regulates and
coordinates all activities of the cell.
Chromosomes are found in the nucleus.
Within the chromosomes are DNA that
make up the gene that bears the
hereditary traits.
The cell theory states that the cell is the
basic unit of life. To be able to perform its
function, the cell contains cytoplasm
structures called organelles.
The following are the basic organelles found in the
cytoplasm.
• Mitochondria are the sites for the breakdown of
sugar molecules into adenosine triphosphate or
ATP, which is the main source of energy in the
body.
• Ribosomes are the sites of protein synthesis.
The coded message from DNA as to what kind of
protein is to be synthesized is carried by the mRNA
from the nucleus to the ribosome.
• Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) consists of
flattened sheets, sacs, and tubes of membranes
that extend throughout the cytoplasm of
eukaryotic cells. It is structurally continuous with
the nuclear membrane, and it specializes in the
transport of lipids and membrane proteins.
A system of flattened, membrane-bound sacs that
looks like stack of pancakes is the Golgi
apparatus. Its function is to modify, sort, and pack
macromolecules for secretion or for transport to
other organelles. Rounded vesicles are associated
to the Golgi apparatus that pinched off from its
flattened sacs and carry the materials to other
parts of the cell.

• Lysosome is also produced by the Golgi

apparatus. It is a membrane-bound organelle that
comes in various sizes and shapes. Lysosomes
contain numerous hydrolytic or digestive enzymes
for the breakdown of carbohydrates, proteins, and
fats within the cell. Thus, they are known as
“digestive sacs”
Destruction or repair of defective parts of the cell
is another function of lysosomes.
• Another membrane-bound vesicles that contain
oxidative enzymes are the peroxisomes. Enzymes
responsible for oxidizing certain molecules to form
hydrogen peroxide are found in peroxisomes. They
are abundantly found in liver cells, where fats and
lipids are metabolized. In plants, they convert
fatty acids into sugars needed by growing
seedlings during seed germination.
Vacuoles are large storage sacs in cells. The
smaller ones are called vesicles. In animals, some
vacuoles function for storage of water or food,
while others are for excretion of waste materials.
Vacuoles in plants occupy up to 95% of the cell
volume. Intracellular digestion, space filling, and
control of cell turgor are some of the functions of
vacuoles in plants. They contain water, sugar, salts,
and anthocyanin pigment. Toxic molecules are
present that protect plants from herbivorous
animals.
• Outside the nucleus of animal cells is found the
centrosome. It consists of two rod-shaped
centrioles which are at right angle to each other.
They replicate before cell division resulting into two
pairs of centrioles that later move apart becoming
part of the newly formed cells. They are believed to
Interesting Facts about Cells
• An average adult has around 30 trillion cells in
the body.
• Thousands of new cells are replicated (copied)
from old ones every day.
• Old cells that are worn-out or damaged are
replaced by the new cells.
• To sustain the cellular and overall health is to
provide raw materials which are obtained from the
nutrients in the food eaten for the creation of new
cells.
• Certain nutrients also protect the cells from
damage, and nutrients in foods support the body's
energy production machinery.
How well the cells function, the quality and
integrity of the new cells created in the
body, depend on the nutrients provided to
the cells on a daily basis. In short, following
a healthful diet help maintain cells and
avoid chronic diseases.