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Cell Theory

The cell theory states that all living things are composed of cells, which are the fundamental units of structure and function. The theory was established in 1839 and remains the foundation of modern biology. Key aspects of the theory are that cells come only from pre-existing cells, contain hereditary information passed to daughter cells, and have the same basic chemical composition. All life processes occur within cells.

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189 views

Cell Theory

The cell theory states that all living things are composed of cells, which are the fundamental units of structure and function. The theory was established in 1839 and remains the foundation of modern biology. Key aspects of the theory are that cells come only from pre-existing cells, contain hereditary information passed to daughter cells, and have the same basic chemical composition. All life processes occur within cells.

Uploaded by

Adit Saxena
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 DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CELL THEORY

The CELL THEORY, or cell doctrine, states that all


organisms are composed of similar units of
organization, called cells. The concept was formally
articulated in 1839 by Schleiden & Schwann and has
remained as the foundation of modern biology. The
idea predates other great paradigms of biology
including Darwin's theory of evolution (1859),
Mendel's laws of inheritance (1865), and the
establishment of comparative biochemistry (1940).
The modern tenets of the Cell Theory include:
1. All known living things are made up of cells.
2. The cell is structural & functional unit of all living
things.
3. All cells come from pre-existing cells by division.
(Spontaneous Generation does not occur).
4. Cells contains hereditary information which is
passed from
cell to cell during cell division.
5. All cells are basically the same in chemical
composition.
6. All energy flow (metabolism & biochemistry) of
life occurs

within cells.

Shape and Size of Cells


There exist cells which have a variable shape,
such as the leukocytes, and some connective tissue
cells and cells with a stable shape, such as the
erythrocytes, epithelial cells, muscle cells and nerve
cells. These stable cells always have typical more
or less fixed shape which is a specific characteristic
of each cell type.
The shape of the cell depends partly on the
surface tension and viscosity of the cytoplasm, the
mechanical action which the adjoining cells exert,
the rigidity of the membrane and the functional
adaptation. Many cells when isolated in a liquid
medium tend to take a spherical form, obeying the
laws of surface tension. This is the case with the
leukocyte which in the circulating blood are
spherical, but by the influence of adequate stimuli
can emit pseudopodia (ameboid movement) and
become completely irregular in shape.
The cells of many plant and animal tissues have a
polyhedral shape, statistically more or less constant,
determined principally by pressure from adjacent

cells. In these cases, the original spherical form is


modified by contact with the other cells. Individual
cells in a large mass appear to behave like
polyhedral solids of minimal surface packed without
interstices. Although regular polyhedra of 4, 6 and
12 sides can be packed without interstices, the 14sided polyhedron satisfies most closely the
conditions of minimal surface.

Structure of a cell:
A typical cell consists of three parts:
1. Cell membrane
2. Cytoplasm
3. Nucleus

1. Cell Membrane
While the plant cell has a rigid cell wall, an animal
cell membrane is a flexible lipid bilayer. The lipid
molecules (mostly phospholipids) that make up the
membrane have a polar, hydrophilic head and two
hydrophobic hydrocarbon tails. When the lipids are
immersed in an aqueous solution the lipids
spontaneously bury the tails together and leave the
hydrophilic heads exposed. Thus this is a handy
membrane to use, because it can automatically fix

itself when torn. There are three different major


classes of lipid molecules phospholipids,
cholesterol, and glycolipids.

2. Cytoplasm
In eukaryotic cells, there are large numbers of
organelles which perform specific tasks. Eukaryotic
cells contain a nucleus that is kept separate from the
cytoplasm by a double membrane structure. The
cytoplasm contains the rest of the organelles such as
the endoplasmic reticulum and the mitochondria,
each necessary for the cell's reproduction and
survival.

3. Nucleus
The nucleus is the cellular control center and exists
only in eukaryotes. The nucleus contains the genetic
information for the cell, in the form of DNA and RNA.
The genetic information is surrounded by a two-layer
nuclear envelope and it is generally found at the
center of the cell. The nucleus is responsible for
communicating with other organelles in the
cytoplasm (the gel-like space surrounding the
nucleus). Messages from inside the nucleus travel
through pores on the nuclear envelope to enter the
cytoplasm.

Cell Inclusions
The cell inclusions are also known as ergastic
substances.
They are represented by various organic and
inorganic substances that can be classified under the
following three categories :

1.

Storage Products

They are represented by starch grains or fat droplets


that serve as the reserve food.

2.

Secretory Products

They are represented by substances like resins,


gums, alkaloids etc.

3.

Excretory Products

They are represented by crystals of inorganic


compounds like calcium carbonate or calcium
oxalate that are formed as byproducts of
metabolism.

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