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CellphysiologyWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Cellphysiology
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Cellphysiology(includingcellularelectrophysiology)isthebiologicalstudyoftheactivitieswhichtakeplacein
acelltokeepitalive.Theterm"physiology"referstoallthenormalfunctionsthattakeplaceinalivingorganism.
Absorptionofwaterbyroots,productionoffoodintheleaves,andgrowthofshootstowardslightareexamplesof
plantphysiology.Theheterotrophicmetabolismoffoodderivedfromplantsandanimalsandtheuseofmovement
toobtainnutrients(eveniftheorganismitselfremainsinarelativelystationaryposition)arecharacteristicof
animalphysiology.
Inthecontextofhumanphysiology,thetermcellphysiologyoftenspecificallyappliestothephysiologyof
membranetransport,neurontransmission,and(lessfrequently)musclecontraction.Ingeneral,thesecoverthe
digestionoffood,circulationofblood,andcontractionofmusclesand,therefore,areimportantaspectsofhuman
physiology.Foramorecompletedescriptionofthegeneralphysiologicalfunctionofhumancells(aswellasthe
cellsofotherlifeforms),seethearticleoncellbiology.

Contents
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Generalcharacteristicsofcellphysiology
Physiologicalprocesses
References
Externallinks

Generalcharacteristicsofcellphysiology
Therearetwotypesofcells,ProkaryotesandEukaryotes.
Prokaryotesfirstcameintoexistenceandcontainnoselfcontainednucleus,thereforemakingtheirmechanisms
muchsimplercomparedtothelaterevolvedEukaryotes,whichdocontainanucleusenvelopingthecell'sDNA
andnuclearorganelles.Becauseviruses,viroids,prionsandsuch(seeAcytota/Aphanobionta)dependentirelyon
thephysiologyofothercells(i.e.,cellscontainingtheirownphysiology),theformerentitiesareoftennot
consideredtobe"living"bythebiologistswhostudythem.
Alllivingcells,whetherprokaryotesoreukaryotes,containthefollowingdistinguishingcharacteristics:
BasedonthepropertiessharedbyallindependentlylivingorganismsonEarth,[1][2][3][4]
ThegeneticcodeisbasedonDNA.
TheDNAiscomposedoffournucleotides(deoxyadenosine,deoxycytidine,deoxythymidineand
deoxyguanosine),totheexclusionofotherpossibledeoxynucleotides.
Thegeneticcodeiscomposedofthreenucleotidecodons,thusproducing64differentcodons.Since
only20aminoacidsareused,multiplecodonscodeforthesameaminoacids.Thisstructureis
arbitraryandsharedbyalleukaryotesandprokaryotes.Archaeaandmitochondriauseasimilarcode
withminordifferences.
TheDNAiskeptdoublestrandedbyatemplatedependentDNApolymerase.
TheintegrityoftheDNAismaintainedbyagroupofmaintenanceenzymes,includingDNA
topoisomerase,DNAligaseandotherDNArepairenzymes.TheDNAisalsoprotectedbyDNA
bindingproteinslikehistones.
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ThegeneticcodeisexpressedviaRNAintermediates,whicharesinglestranded.
RNAisproducedbyaDNAdependentRNApolymeraseusingnucleotidessimilartothoseofDNA
withtheexceptionofThymidineinDNA,replacedbyUridineinRNA.
Thegeneticcodeisexpressedintoproteins.Allotherpropertiesoftheorganism(e.g.synthesisoflipidsor
carbohydrates)aretheresultofproteinenzymes.
ProteinsareassembledfromfreeaminoacidsbytranslationofanmRNAbyribosomes,tRNAandagroup
ofrelatedproteins.
Ribosomesarecomposedoftwosubunits,onebigandonesmall.
EachribosomalsubunitiscomposedofacoreofribosomalRNAsurroundedbyribosomalproteins.
TheRNAmolecules(rRNAandtRNA)playanimportantroleinthecatalyticactivityofthe
ribosomes
Only20aminoacidsareused,totheexclusionofcountlessnonstandardaminoacidsonlytheLisomers
areused.
Aminoacidsmustbesynthesizedfromglucosebyagroupofspecializedenzymesthesynthesis
pathwaysarearbitraryandconserved.
GlucosecanbeusedasasourceofenergyandcarbononlytheDisomerisused.
Glycolysisgoesthroughanarbitrarydegradationpathway.
ATPisusedasanenergyintermediate.
Thecellissurroundedbyacellularmembranecomposedofalipidbilayer.
Insidethecell,theconcentrationofsodiumislower,andpotassiumishigher,thanoutside.Thisgradientis
maintainedbyspecificionpumps.TheconcentrationofCalciuminsideofacellisalsolowerthanoutside.
Thecellmultipliesbyduplicatingallitscontentsfollowedbycellulardivision.
Theearliestancestorofalllifethatishypothesizedtocontaintheseattributesisknownasthelastcommon
ancestor.

Physiologicalprocesses
MovementofproteinsThemovementofproteinsaboutthecellforuseinstructureandinenzymatic
processes.
ActivetransportandPassivetransportTheprocessesfacilitatingthemovementofmoleculesintoandout
ofcells.
AutophagyTheprocesswherebycells"eat"theirowninternalcomponentsormicrobialinvaders.
AdhesionThechemicalprocesseswherebycellsandothertissuesareheldtogether.
Celldivisionaeukaryoticcellprocessresultingintheformationofdaughtercellstherearetwomajor
types:thatofmitosis(asexualreproduction)andmeiosis(sexualreproduction).
Cellmovement:Chemotaxis,Contraction,CiliaandFlagella.
CellsignalingRegulationofcellbehaviorbysignalsfromoutside,suchastheuseofhormonesor
neurotransmitters.
DNArepairandCelldeath
Metabolism:Glycolysis,Respiration,PhotosynthesisProcesseswherebyenergyisstoredand/orliberated
forusebythecell.
TranscriptionandmRNAsplicingProcessesbywhichgenesexpressthemselves,primarilybywayof
RNAandproteintranscription.

References
1.WchtershuserG(1998)."Towardsareconstructionofancestralgenomesbygeneclusteralignment".System.Appl.
Microbiol.21:4737.doi:10.1016/S07232020(98)800581.
2.WhatisLife?(http://faculty.clintoncc.suny.edu/faculty/Michael.Gregory/files/Bio%20101/Bio%20101%20Lectures/Life/l
ife.htm),byMichaelGregory,ClintonCollege
3.PaceNR(January2001)."Theuniversalnatureofbiochemistry".Proc.Natl.Acad.Sci.U.S.A.98(3):8058.
Bibcode:2001PNAS...98..805P.doi:10.1073/pnas.98.3.805.PMC33372.PMID11158550.
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4.WchtershuserG(January2003)."FromprecellstoEukaryaataleoftwolipids".Mol.Microbiol.47(1):1322.
doi:10.1046/j.13652958.2003.03267.x.PMID12492850.

Externallinks
Overview(http://www.lib.mcg.edu/edu/eshuphysio/program/section1/1outline.htm)atMedicalCollegeof
Georgia
cellphysiology(https://www.nlm.nih.gov/cgi/mesh/2011/MB_cgi?mode=&term=cell+physiology)attheUS
NationalLibraryofMedicineMedicalSubjectHeadings(MeSH)
electrophysiology(https://www.nlm.nih.gov/cgi/mesh/2011/MB_cgi?mode=&term=electrophysiology)at
theUSNationalLibraryofMedicineMedicalSubjectHeadings(MeSH)
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