BIOL 1017—CELL BIOLOGY

Lecture 1:
Course Introduction &
Cell Theory

Dr. Eric Hyslop

 Some important information
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course
• Necessary prerequisites are for all Level 1
Biology courses are CAPE BIOLOGY UNITS 1
and 2 passes at any level
 More Important information
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• This applies to other level 1 FS&T courses also
 Areas covered in Lectures
Weeks 1 and 2
 Cell Theory.
 Prokaryotes.
 Eukaryotes
 Cell membranes
 Organelles: compartmentalisation of
functions.
 Membrane transport
Characteristics of Living Things

Living organisms exhibit the following:

 Homeostasis.
 Organization.
 Energy transduction.
 Metabolism.
 Growth.
 Adaptation.
 Response to stimuli.
 Reproduction.
 Cell Theory

Enclosing biochemical reactions inside a cell:

 Was a key event in emergence of life.
 Concentrated the reactions.
 Separated reactions from the external
environment.

Cell Theory:
 Was formulated in 19th century.
 Is a cornerstone of biological science.
 Cell Theory

Cell Theory has three critical components:

 All living things are composed of cells.
 The cell is structural and functional unit of
living things.
 All cells come from division of pre‐existing
cells;
 i.e., spontaneous generation does not
occur.
 Cell Theory: Implications

All living things are composed of cells:

 Single-celled organisms are unicellular.
 Many-celled organisms are multicellular.

Unicellular Multicellular

Bacteria Protist (Paramecium) Flowering Plant Mammal (Dolphin)

 Cell Theory: Implications

The cell is structural and functional unit of

living things:
 Each cell carries its species’ hereditary
information.
 This cell uses this to direct:
 Gathering of raw materials from its
environment;
 Construction of new cells in its image.
 Nothing less than a cell has this capability.
 Cell Theory: Implications

All cells come from division of pre‐existing

cells:
 Life is continuous:
 All cells are descendents of the first living
cell.
 Universal Features of Cells

All cells:
 Are enclosed in a plasma membrane
through which nutrients and wastes pass.
 Employ the Central Dogma of Molecular
Biology.
 Universal Features of Cells
Central Dogma of Molecular Biology:
 Hereditary information is stored in a coded
sequence of nucleotides in DNA.
 DNA copies itself via replication.
 DNA transcription produces an intermediate
nucleotide-coded molecule, RNA.
 Translation converts RNA’s nucleotide code
into an amino acid sequence in a protein.
 The fragment of DNA that corresponds to
one protein is one gene.
 Central
Dogma of
Molecular
Biology
 Universal Features of Cells

All cells use proteins:

 In the transformation of matter; and
 To manage the flow of energy.

 Proteins are what differentiates cells

 They give each type of cell it’s
characteristics
 Viruses
Viruses:
 Are not cells:
 Contain protein and
nucleic acid; but
 Lack membranes,
nucleus and
protoplasm.
 Seem alive only while
reproducing after
infecting a host cell.
 Why are cells so small?
• Most cells are within a fairly narrow size range
• 10-100µm
• Reasons
• 1. Surface area to volume ratio: x2 increase in
surface area vs x3 increase in volume
• 2. Adequate concentrations of reactants for
chemical reactions
• 3.Rates of diffusion-importance of active
transport and carrier proteins
 This is a golden rule in Biology
• Often when you are searching for an explanation
for a biological phenomenon the answer is
related to surface are to volume ratio
• Examples: absorption of digested food, uptake of
oxygen, heat loss.
• In cells it limits the size that they can grow to as
large cells would have insufficient surface area to
satisfy the needs of the volume of cytoplasm