MDCAT Biology

PMC Topic# 4: Cell Structure

MUHAMMAD YOUNAS
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Comparison of cells
 Feature Prokaryotic cell Animal cell Plant cell Fungi cell

Present (Protein +
1. Cell wall polysaccharide)
Absent Present (Cellulose) Present (Chitin)

2. Cell membrane Present (Lack sterols) Present Present Present

Present or absent Present or absent Absent

3. Flagella/Cilia (Have 9+0 (Have 9+2 (Exception: Absent
arrangement) arrangement) Antherozoid)

4. Nucleus Absent Present Present Present

Present (Multiple Present (Multiple Present (Multiple

Absent (Single DNA
chromosomes with chromosomes with chromosomes with
5. Chromosomes acts as heredity
DNA and histone DNA and histone DNA and histone
material)
protein) protein) protein)

6. Mitochondria Absent Present Present Present

7. Plastids Absent Absent Present Absent

8. Endoplasmic
Absent Present Present Present 15
reticulum
 Feature Prokaryotic cell Animal cell Plant cell Fungi cell

9. Golgi
Absent Present Present Present
apparatus

10. Lysosomes Absent Present Present (Rare) Present

11. Peroxisomes Absent Present Present Present

Present Present
12. Glyoxisomes Absent Absent
(Temporarily) (Temporarily)

Present (Many Present (Single Present (Single

13. Vacuoles Absent
small) large) large)

14. Ribosomes Present (70S) Present (80S) Present (80S) Present (80S)

Present (In higher Absent (In higher Absent

15. Centrioles Absent
animals) plants) 16
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Structure of cell
 Structure of
Eukaryotic Cell

Plasma
Nucleus Cytoplasm
membrane

Cytosol Organelles
 Organelles

Organelles Organelles Organelles

with double with single without
membrane membrane membrane

Endoplasmic
Nucleus reticulum Ribosomes

Golgi
Mitochondria Centrioles
Apparatus

Plastids Lysosomes Cytoskeleton

Peroxisomes

Glyoxisomes

Vacoules

Centrosome
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Cell wall
CELL WALL
▪ Outermost boundary in plants, fungi, bacteria
▪ Cell wall of Plants
• Different from Bacteria and fungi
• Structurally and functionally
▪ Secreted by protoplasm of cell
▪ Thickness is variable
• Depending of function of cell
CELL WALL
▪ Cell wall of plants
• Has three layers
▪ 1. Middle lamella
• Formed between dividing cells
• First cell wall
▪ 2. Primary wall
• Composed of cellulose
• Deposition of pectin and hemicellulose
• Cellulose – arranged in crisscross manner
• True cell wall
• Develops in growing cells
CELL WALL
▪ 3. Secondary wall
• Formed inside primary wall
• Comparatively thick
• More rigid
• Chemically inorganic salts, silica,
• waxes, cutin, lignin etc
▪ Cell wall of bacteria
• Does not contain cellulose
• Made of peptidoglycan / murein
▪ Cell wall of Fungi
• Made of chitin (polysaccharide)
CELL WALL
▪ Very important
▪ Maintains shape of cell
▪ Keeps it rigid
▪ Does not act as barrier
• Allows all substances
▪ Prevents osmotic lysis
Cell Membrane
Cell membrane

1. Introduction:
• Watchmen of cell
• Also called plasma membrane or boundary of cell
• Surrounds cytoplasm and most of cytoplasmic organelles.
2. Location:
• Outermost layer in animal cells
• Inner to cell wall in plant cells
3. Chemical composition:

Chemical
composition

Proteins Lipids Carbohydrates

(60% - 80%) (20% - 40%) (Trace)

Peripheral Integral Phospholipids Cholesterol

Channels Carriers Receptors

4. Structure
i. Unit Membrane Model
• Lipid bilayer sandwiched between two protein layers
• membrane act as a unit

ii. Fluid Mosaic Model

• Protein molecules are embedded in lipid bilayer in a mosaic
manner
5. Function
i. Cellular Transport
• Deferentially or selectively permeable membrane
• Regulate flow of substances to maintain a definite concentration
gradient
 Cellular
Transport

Passive Active Bulk

transport transport transport

Simple Facilitated
Osmosis Endocytosis Exocytosis
diffusion diffusion

Endosmosis Exosmosis Phagocytosis Pinocytosis

a. Passive Transport
• Transport along the concentration gradient, without utilization of ATP
Weeee!!
!

high

low

b. Active Transport
• Transport against the concentration gradient, with utilization of ATP
This is
gonna
be
hig hard
h work!
!
lo
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c. Simple Diffusion
• Diffusion without involvement of career protein e.g., gaseous exchange in
alveoli

d. Facilitated Diffusion
• Transport with involvement of career protein e.g., Diffusion of glucose
molecules
e) Osmosis

Diffusion of the solvent across a semi-permeable membrane separating two solutions.

Water molecules move from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration.

Direction depends on the relative concentration of water molecules on either side of the cell
membrane
f. Endocytosis
• Movement of larger substances into the cell

g. Exocytosis
• Movement of larger substances out of the cell
h. Phagocyotosis
• Cell eating

i. Pinocytosis
• Cell drinking
ii. Integrity:
• Keep cell contents together
iii. Communication:
• Allow communication with other cells (like having receptors)
iv. Recognition:
• Allow recognition of other external substances
v. Motility:
• Allow motility in some organisms (Like in amoeba)
vi. Chemical reactions:
• Site of various chemical reactions (Like respiration in bacteria)
vii.Coordination:
• Transmit nerve impulse to keep coordination
viii.Homeostasis:
• Maintain the internal environment
Endoplasmic Reticulum
Endoplasmic

1. Introduction:
• Network of interconnecting channels extending nuclear
membrane to cell membrane
2. Location:
• Extending throughout cytoplasm
3. Structure:
i. Basic structure:
• Interconnecting channels of ER consists of spherical or tubular
membranes having material inside, called cisternae
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ii. Morphological Forms:
• Rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) – with attached ribosomes
• Smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) – without ribosomes

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4. Function:
Entity Functions
1. Endoplasmic i. Mechanical support
ii. Transport of materials
reticulum (In general)

2. Rough endoplasmic i. Involve in protein synthesis due to attached ribosomes

(Cells actively involved in large amount of protein synthesis have
reticulum prominent RER)

i. Lipid metabolism
a. Steroid synthesis
b. Lypolysis (begins in SER)
c. Assembling of lipoproteins
3. Smooth endoplasmic ii. Detoxification of harmful drugs
reticulum iii. Storage and release of Ca++ in skeletal and cardiac muscle cells
iv. Glycogen degradation
v. Gluconeogenesis (Generation of glucose from non-carbohydrate
carbon substrates such as pyruvate or glucogenic amino acids)
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Golgi Apparatus
Golgi apparatus

1. Introduction:
• Finishing and packing house
2. Location:
• Cytoplasm
3. Structure:
i. Introduction:
• Golgi apparatus consists of stacks of flattened, membrane
bound sacs, called cisternae
• These cisternae together with associated vesicles are called
Golgi complex 60
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 ii. Parts / Faces of Golgi Apparatus:

Entity Also called Description

i. Forming face
i. Faces ER or nucleus
1. Cis face ii. Receiving side
ii. Receives blebs from SER
iii. Outer convex surface

i. Glycosylation
i. Medial Side
2. Medial Golgi ii. Central stacks
(Begins in RER and mainly
accomplished in medial Golgi)

i. Faces toward plasma

i. Maturing face
membrane
3. Trans face ii. Shipping side
ii. Secretory granules (transport
iii. Inner concave surface
vesicles) are pinched off 62
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iii. Cisternae of Golgi Apparatus VS Endoplasmic Reticulum:

Endoplasmic reticulum
Golgi apparatus
(No Curvature & Dilations at
(Curvature & Dilations at Ends)
Ends)

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 4. Function:
• Post translational modifications of proteins
• Packaging and sorting of newly synthesized proteins
• Involved in cell wall synthesis in plants and called as
dictyosomes

Digestion of
phagocytized particles
Protein synthesis

Lysosomes Autophagy
on RER

Post translational
Transport vesicle Golgi apparatus Sorting Cell membrane Degeneration of cell
modifications

Secretion

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Lysosome
Lysosomes

1. Introduction:
• Single membrane bounded organelles rich in enzymes Acid Phosphatase
and several Hydrolytic enzymes.
2. Synthesis:
• Lysosomes are actually the pinched off vesicles from the Golgi
Apparatus.
3. Location:
• Freely in cytoplasm.
4. Types of Lysosomes:
• Lysosomes are of two types:
i. Primary Lysosomes which are the processed enzymes budded off as
Golgi Vesicles
ii. Secondary Lysosomes which are formed by fusion of Phagocytic
Vacuoles and Primary Lysosomes 95
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Lysosomes

5. Function:
▪ Intracellular digestion
▪ Autophagy
▪ Recycling and renewal of cell material
▪ Degeneration of cell
▪ Developmental processes.
▪ Extra cellular digestion as well.
▪ Congenital diseases associated with Lysosomes:
a. Glycogenesis type II
b. Tay-Sach’s Disease:
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Vacuole
VACUOLE
▪ Both animals and plants
▪ Large in plant cells
• Occupy major portion of cell
• Push other organelles towards wall
▪ Bounded by single membrane
▪ Formed by coalescence of smaller ones
• During growth and development of cell
VACUOLE
▪ Expand volume of the cell
• Without diluting cytoplasm
▪ Sites for storage
• Water,salts, metabolites
• Products of cell
▪ Turgor pressure in plants
• Support in young parts
• Like leaves and green branches
Mitochondria
Mitochondria

1. Introduction:
• Powerhouses of cell
2. Location:
• Floating in cytoplasm
3. Shape, Size and Number:
• Depend upon physiological activity or ATP requirement of cell
• Shape: Vesicles, rods or filaments
• Size: Small or large
• Number: Few or many
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4. Structure:
i. Outer membrane
• Smooth
ii. Inner membrane
a. Cristae:
• Folds of inner membrane into mitochondrial matrix
b. F1 Particles:
• Knob like structures present on inner surface of cristae
c. Cytochromes:
• Iron containing proteins present on F1 particles of cristae
i. Matrix:
• Mitochondrial matrix contains following substances
• DNA
• RNA
• Ribosomes
• Enzymes
• Coenzymes
• Organic salts
• Inorganic salts 71
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5. Function:
i. ATP Production:
a. Kreb’s cycle:
• It takes place in mitochondrial matrix
b. Electron transport chain:
• It takes place on cytochromes, which are present on F1 particles of cristae
ii. Metabolism
iii. Power house

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Chloroplast
Chloroplast

1. Introduction:
• Green pigment containing plastids
2. Location:
• In photosynthetic cell (mesophylls)
3. Shape, Size and Number:
• Shape: Vary in shape
• Size: 2-4 micrometer diameter
• Number: vary, about 200 in mesophyll cells
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4. Structure:
i. Envelope
• Outer and inner membrane forming envelope
ii. Thylakoids
• Flattened vesicles which arrange themselves to form grana and intergrana.
• They stacked upon each other (about 50) like coins to form a pile called
Granum
• On average, there are 50 or more thylakoids piled to form granum
• Each granum is inter-connected by the non-green part called Intergranum
• Membranes of the grana are the sites where sun light energy is trapped
and where ATP is formed
iii. Stroma:
• Fluid which covers most of the volume of chloroplast and surrounds the
Thylakoid.
• It is the part of the chloroplast where CO2 is fixed to manufacture sugars.
• It contains
• protein,
• some ribosomes
• small circular DNA.
• Ribosomes
• Enzymes
• Coenzymes 77
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5. Function:
i. Photosynthesis
a. Light reactions:
• It takes place in grana
b. Dark reactions
• It takes place in stroma
ii. It is self replicating organelle

• Other plastids like chromoplast helps in pollination and seed

dispersal by coloring.
• Leucoplast involved in storage of food.

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Nucleus
Nucleus

1. Introduction:
• Control room of cell
2. Location, shape and number:
• Location: Central in case of animal cells, while pushed toward
periphery in plant cells
• Shape: May be irregular or spherical
• Number: Mononucleate (e.g., in smooth muscle cells),
binucleate (e.g., in cardiac muscle cells), and multinucleate
(e.g., in skeletal muscle cells).
3. Structure: Structure of
nucleus

Nuclear Nucleoplasm
envelop

Nucleolus Chromatin

Types of Types of
Structure of chromatin on Structure of chromosomes on
chromatin basis of chromosomes basis of
transcription morphology
i. Nuclear envelop:
• Double membrane
• Porous
ii. Nucleolus:
• Can be one or more in number
• Factory of ribosome synthesis

Structure of
nucleolus

Outer Granular
Central fibrilar
zone

- Outermost region - inner region

- Contain maturing - Contain rRNA &
ribosomes rDNA
iii. Structure of chromatin:

Structure of
chromatin

Histone Non-histone
DNA
proteins proteins

Enzymes of
Heredity Part of replication,
material nucleosomes transcription
etc.
iv. Types of chromatin on basis of transcription:

Types of
chromatin

Euchromatin Heterochromatin

- Extended - Condensed
- Transcribed - Not transcribed
 v. Structure of chromosomes:
• Full set of sister chromatids is synthesized during S-phase of
interphase
• In dividing cells, the nucleus disappears and chromatin material
is replaced by chromosomes

Unduplicated - 1 centromere
(Present in non- - 1 chromatid
dividing cell) - 2 arms
Structure of
chromosomes
Duplicated - 1 centromere
(Present at - 2 chromatids
beginning of cell
division) - 4 arms
vi. Types of chromosomes on basis of morphology:
Types of
chromosomes

Sub
Telocentric Acrocentric Metacentric
metacentric

Equal or
Centromere One short and
Unequal arms almost equal
at one end one long arm
arms
4. Functions:
• Contain chromatin for controlling all activities of cell by
central dogma
• Contain nucleolus for synthesis of ribosomes

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