Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Intro to Cell Bio (Cells and Genomes)

Unity of life
 Cell is basic unit of life
o Unicellular
o Multicellular
 All cellular life has these characteristics in common
o DNA as its genetic material
o Several RNAs
o Proteins
 Enzymes
 Cell membrane
 Reproduction
 Energy (ATP)

Diversity of Living Organisms

 Cell Size
 Cell Structure
o Prokaryotic vs Eukaryotic
o Prokaryotic
 Nucleus: no
 RNA Processing: no
 Organelles: no
 Cell Wall: yes
 Temperature
 Grows best below 20C: psychrophiles
 Grows best between 20-50C: mesophiles
 Grows best above 50-80C: thermophiles
 Grows best 80-120C: Hyperthermophiles
 PH (acidic or basic)
 Grows well at pH 1 to 2: acidophiles
o Helicobacter pyloric in the stomach
o Peptic ulcer and gastric cancer
 Grows best near neutral pH: neutrophile
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 Grows well at basic pH: alkaliphile

 Water
 Most cells require a min moisture content
 Some bacteria can make spores: cells that survive in the near absence of
water
 Salt
 Most cells require a moderate level of salt
 Some cells can exist in a very high salt concentrations: halophiles
 Oxygen availability
 Require o2 for growth: aerobic
 Require lack of o2 for growth: anaerobic
 Nutrient availability
 Most microorganisms require organic and inorganic nutrients to grow
and survive
 Cyanobacteria grow in the absence of key nutrient: e.g. can convert co2
from air into organic cellular molecules
o Eukaryotic
 Nucleus: yes
 RNA Processing: yes
 Organelles: yes
 Cell Wall: no
 Fungi
 A fungi, eukaryotic unicellular organism
 Most commonly used in the food industry
o Under aerobic conditions used as a baker’s yeast
o Under anaerobic conditions used for alcohol production
 Involved in human diseases
o Yeast infections
o Opportunistic infections (e.g. AIDS)
 Molds
 Filamentous fungi with a mycelial structure
o Mycelium is a highly branches system of tubes that contain
mobile cytoplasm with many nuclei
 Molds are used for production of citric acid and antibiotics.
o The mold penicillium produces penicillin
 Protozoa
 Unicellular eukaryotes lack cell wall
 They cause a number of human diseases
o e.g. malaria
 But may have beneficial roles
o Digestion
o Removing bacteria from wastewater
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o Viruses
 Viruses are complexes of nucleic acids and proteins
 Use functions of the host cells on which they are parasites
 They are not cellular life
 The viral parasite cause changes int eh cell
 Directing the host cells metabolism to the production of new virus particles may
cause cellular death
 What are viruses?
 Nucleic acid genome
o DNA or RNA
 Protein coat
o Protection, entry into the cell
 Lipid envelope in some viruses
o Archaea
 Morphologically, the two kingdoms of prokaryotes appear similar. However, the
have major biochemical/genomic differences
 Most archaea live in extreme environments
 Thermoacidophiles
o Expand
 Methanophiles
o Expand
 Halophiles
o Expand