TOPIC 4: CLASS 1

CELL STRUCTURE
AND FUNCTION
CELL: DEFINITION, THEORY; TYPES OF CELLS;
PROKARYOTE, EUKARYOTE WITH EXAMPLES;
COMMON CELL F E AT U R E S OF BOTH
PROKARYOTE AND EUKARYOTES: CELL
M E M B R A N E , G E N E T I C M AT E R I A L , C Y TO P L A S M ;
C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S T R U C T U R A L F E AT U R E S O F
PROKARYOTES;
NORTH SOUTH UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF
BIOCHEMISTRY AND
MICROBIOLOGY
MUHAMMAD MANJURUL KARIM, PHD
D E PA R T M E N T O F M I C R O B I O L O G Y
UNIVERSITY OF DHAKA, DHAKA
 GED
B I O L O G Y:
BIO 103
LECTURE 8
AUG 17,
2023
 THE CELL
THEORY
Basic unit of structure in all
organisms and also the basic unit of
reproduction.

The three tenets to the cell theory-

1. All living organisms are composed

of one or more cells. (However, this is
considered a controversy because
non-cellular life such as viruses are
disputed as a life form.)

2. The cell is the basic unit of

structure and organization in
organisms.

3. Cells arise from pre-existing cells.

TYPES OF CELLS

• Virtually all forms of life fall into one of two categories:

Eukaryotes or prokaryotes
PROKARYOTIC CELLS

• A microscopic single-celled organism that has neither a distinct nucleus with a

membrane nor other specialized organelles.
• Origin of the term “Prokaryote”
CHIEF DISTINGUISHING TRAITS OF
PROKARYOTIC CELLS
• DNA: not enclosed within a membrane, usually a singular, circularly-arranged
chromosome.
• DNA is not associated with histones, other protein are associated with DNA.
• Generally lack organelles.
• CW almost always contain the complex polysaccharide peptidoglycan.
• Replication by binary fission
SPLITTING E. COLI
CHIEF DISTINGUISHING TRAITS OF
EUKARYOTIC CELLS
• DNA is found in cell’s nucleus, separated from cell cytosol by nuclear
membrane, and is found in multiple chromosomes.
• DNA is consistently associated with chromosomal proteins called histones and
nonhistones.
• They have a number of membrane-enclosed organelles, including mitochondria,
ER, Golgi complex, lysosomes and sometimes chloroplasts.
• Their CW, when present are chemically simple.
• Cell division occurs by mitosis: chromosomes replicate> an identical set is
distributed into each of 2 nuclei> division of cytoplasm and organelles follows.
PROKARYOTIC CELLS AND EUKARYOTIC
CELLS

• Similarities
– Nucleic acids, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates
– chemical reactions to metabolize foods, build proteins and store energy
PROKARYOTIC CELLS AND EUKARYOTIC
CELLS

• Dissimilarities
– Structure of cell walls and membranes
– organelles (specialized cellular structure)
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
THE PROKARYOTIC CELLS

• Vast group of unicellular organisms that include bacteria and archaea.

• Although bacteria and archaea look similar, their chemical composition is
different.
• Bacteria differ from each other by many factors –
– morphology (shape),
– chemical composition,
– nutritional requirements,
– biochemical activities, and
– sources of energy
PROKARYOTIC CELL: STRUCTURE
An old saying in biology: “form follows function”
SIZE AND SHAPE OF BACTERIAL CELLS
➢Size
– Diameter: 0.2 to 2.0 µm
– length: 2-8 µm
➢Shape
– spherical coccus (plural: cocci, meaning berries)
– rod-shaped bacillus (plural: bacilli, meaning little rods)
– Spiral
The shape of a bacterium is determined by heredity.
– Monomorphic, (most bacteria)
– Pleomorphic, (Rhizobium and Corynebacterium)
 SEM OF
PROKARYOTIC MICROBES
 SEM OF
EUKARYOTIC MICROBES
Saccharomyces
CELL SIZES
MICROBIAL SIZE
• 1. Staphylococcus 1,000 nm
• 2. Rickettsia 450 nm
• 3. Chlamydia 390 nm
• 4. Tobacco mosaic virus
(300 x 15 nm)
• 5. Bacteriophages
– Head (65 x 95 nm)
– tail (12 x 100 nm)
• 6. Adenovirus (70 nm)
• 7. Poxvirus (300 x 230 nm)
• 8. Influenza virus (100 nm)
• 9. Poliovirus (30 nm)
• 10. Japanese encephalitis
virus (40 nm)
• 11. Molecule of egg protein
(10 nm)
OBSERVATION OF CELLS:
MICROSCOPES
• Microscopes allow us to study cells in detail.
• The ones that use visible light to illuminate objects are called light
microscopes. There are two types: Simple and Compound.
• Electron microscopes use electrons instead of visible light to illuminate
samples. Because electrons travel in wavelengths that are much shorter than
those of visible light, electron microscopes can resolve details that are much
smaller than you can see with light microscopes.
LIMITATIONS OF LIGHT MICROSCOPY

• Wavelengths of light are

400-750 nm. If a structure
is less than one-half of a
wavelength long, it will not
be visible.
• Light microscopes can
resolve objects down to
about 200 nm in size.
ELECTRON
MICROSCOPY
• Uses streams of accelerated
electrons rather than light
• Electrons are focused by magnets
rather than glass lenses
• Can resolve structures down to 0.5
nm
CHARACTERISTIC
STRUCTURAL
F E AT U R E S O F
PROKARYOTES
THE CELL WALL
THE CELL WALL

• A complex, semi-rigid structure responsible for cell shape.

• Almost all prokaryotes have a CW that surrounds and protects the interior of
cell from adverse changes in the environment.
• CW prevents bacterial cells from osmotic lysis.
• Clinically, the CW contributes to the ability of some species to cause disease
and is the site of action of some antibiotics.
• CW of some eukaryotes, including plants, algae, and fungi differ chemically from
those of prokaryotes, are simpler in structure, and are less rigid.
GRAM-POSITIVE CELL WALLS
• Their CW consists of many layers of peptidoglycan, forming a thick, rigid
structure.
• The space in between the CW and CM of Gram-positive bacteria is the
periplasmic space.
• They contain teichoic acids, a complex of an alcohol (such as glycerol or
ribitol) and phosphate.
• Property:
1. Because of the negative charges, teichoic acids may bind and regulate the movement of
cations into and out of the cell.
2. Teichoic acids provide much of the wall’s antigenic specificity, and thus make it possible
to identify gram-positive bacteria by certain laboratory tests. For e.g., CW of gram-
positive streptococci are covered with various polysaccharides that allow them to be
grouped into medically significant types.
GRAM-NEGATIVE CELL WALL
CONTRAST IN BETWEEN GRAM-
POSITIVE AND -NEGATIVE CELL WALL
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CWS
THE CYTOPLASMIC MEMBRANE
NUCLEOID
• This is the cell’s genetic information, which carries all the information required
for the cell’s structures and functions.
• The nucleoid of a bacterial cell usually contains a single long, continuous, and
circularly-arranged thread of ds DNA called the bacterial chromosome.
• Bacterial chromosomes are not surrounded by a nuclear envelope (membrane)
and do not include histones unlike eukaryotic nucleus.
NUCLEOID
• In addition to the bacterial chromosome, bacteria often contain small usually circular,
ds DNA molecules called plasmids.
• These molecules are extrachromosomal genetic elements; i.e. they are not connected
to the main bacterial chromosome, and they replicate independently of chromosomal
DNA.
• Plasmids usually contain from 5 to 100 genes that are generally not crucial for the
survival of the bacterium under normal environmental conditions. But, they provide
competitive advantage to cells under certain conditions, for example, antibiotic
resistance, tolerance to toxic metals, the production of toxin etc.
• Plasmids can be transferred from one bacterium to another, vertically or horizontally.
RIBOSOMES

• All eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells contain ribosomes, where protein

synthesis takes place.
• Cells that are actively growing, have a large number of ribosomes. The
cytoplasm of a prokaryotic cell contains tens of thousands of ribosomes, giving
the cytoplasm a granular appearance.
• Ribosomes are composed of two subunits, each of which consists of protein
and a type of RNA called rRNA.
• Prokaryotic ribosomes differ from eukaryotic ribosomes.
RIBOSOMES: THEIR STATES IN PRO-
AND EUKARYOTIC CELLS
ANTIBIOTICS: TARGET SITES VARY

• Several antibiotics work by inhibiting protein synthesis on prokaryotic

ribosomes. Antibiotics such as streptomycin and gentamicin attach to the 30S
subunit and interfere with protein synthesis. Other antibiotics, such as
erythromycin and chloramphenicol, interfere with protein synthesis by
attaching to the 50S subunit.
THANK YOU