Learning About Cell Biology

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What is the Study of Cell Biology?

Cell biology is the study of:

The strucutre of internal cellular organelles

Internal movement and transport of proteins in vesicles

The components and functions of the plasma membrane

Molecular mechanisms such as metabolism

Cell biology studies cells by using the following investigative techniques:

Microscopy (observing cells under the microscope)

Cell culture (growing cells in the lab using an incubator)

Immunohistochemistry (using antibodies to label and track cells and organelles)

Knock outs (using genetics to remove genes that code for specific proteins from animals or cells)

Knock downs (using special RNA transcripts to lower protein levels in the cell)

Transfection (temporarily introducing a new gene into a cell)

Cloning (permenantly introducing a new gene into a cell)

PCR (amplification of a gene)

In situ hybridization (shows which cells are expressing a particular RNA transcript in a cell or organism)

DNA microarrays (identify changes in transcript levels between different experimental conditions)

Cellular structure is the first step in understanding how a cell works

A cell is a small organized structure that is capable of metabolic activity necessary to keep an organism alive. It is a unique self contained environment.

There are two types of cells:

Prokaryotic - bacteria. Most consist of only a single cell.

Eukaryotic - animal cells. Have complicated and organized interiors.

The nucleus is what enables the cell to reproduce and all eukaryotic cells reproduce by replication of DNA, while prokaryotic cells reproduce by binary fission. (They divide in two)

Prokaryotic Cell

A prokaryotic cell can contain the following:

Eukaryotic Cell

The Eukaryotic Cell is very different from the prokaryotic cell in several ways.

They contain many more organized and separate structures called organelles

They are not self contained organisms like bacteria, but are part of a larger and more complex system of cells that make up an organism

They have DNA sequestered inside the nucleus and contained on chromosomes

They reproduce by replicating the DNA and sending it outside the nucleus

Each organelle inside a eukaryotic cell has a specific function to enable the cell to contribute to the survival of the organism.