The Fundamental Unit Of Life:

Cell
By- Shivansh Shrivastava
IX-Grade 9th
What is a cell?
 Cells are the basic unit bounded by the
membrane that consists of the fundamental
molecules of life of which all living organisms
are made up of.
 Each cell contains a cytoplasm which is
enclosed by a membrane and contains
several biomolecules like proteins, nucleic
acids, etc.
Who discovered cell?
 The cell was first discovered and named
by Robert Hooke in 1665. The cell walls
observed by Hooke gave no indication of the
nucleus and other organelles found in most
living cells.
 The first man to witness a live cell under a
microscope was Anton van Leeuwenhoek, who
in 1674 described the algae Spirogyra.
 Cork cell- As
Robert Hooke and Anton observed by Robert
van Leeuwenhoek Hooke
 In 1831 a Scottish botanist discovered the
nucleus of the cell and gave the earliest
descriptions of the cell nucleus.
 Schleiden and Schwann presented the cell
theory which states that all plants and animals
are composed of cells and cell is the basic unit
of life.
 In 1839 Purkinje coined the term ‘Protoplasm’
for the fluid substance of the cell.

Purkinje
 In 1855 Virchow expanded the cell theory by
suggesting that all cells arise from pre-
existing cells
 In 1940 Knoll and Ruska built an electron
microscope that made understanding of the
complex structure of cell and its organelles Virchow
possible.

Knoll And Ruska

Types Of Cell
Prokaryotic Cell
A prokaryotic cell possesses a poorly defined
nucleus due to the absence of nuclear
membrane. The nuclear region is called
Nucleoid. These cells also lack most of the
membrane bound cytoplasmic organelles so
that the various functions are performed by
poorly organized parts of the cytoplasm.
Eukaryotic Cell
 The Eukaryotic cell possesses well
defined cellular organelles to perform
different functions. They have true
nucleus with nuclear membrane. They
are on an average 10 times larger than Eukaryotic Cell
a prokaryotic cell and have complex
DNA which enable them to do complex
jobs.
Components of cell

Cell Membrane
 Thisis the outermost covering of the cell and
seperates it from its external environment.
 The plasma membrane allows the entry and exit
of the materials of cell. It also prevents the
movement of some materials.
 Itis made up of oraganic molecules called lipids
and proteins.
Cell Wall
 Cell wall is only present in the plant
cells.
 In plant cells, in addition to the plasma
membrane, have another rigid outer
covering called the cell wall.
 It is mainly composed of cellulose which
provides strength to the plants.
 Cell walls permit the cells of plants,
fungi and bacteria to withstand very
dilute external media without bursting.
  Itis also called as the brain of the
cell and has a double layered
covering around it called the
nuclear membrane.
 Nucleolus also known as the factory of
rhibosomes is found inside the nucleus.
 The nucleus also contains the
chromosomes which contain
information for inheritance of
characters from parent to next
generation in the form of DNA.
Cytoplasm
The cytoplasm is the fluid content inside
the plasma membrane. It also contains
many specialized cell organelles.

Endoplasmic Reticulum
It is a large network of membrane bound tubes and
sheets. It looks like long tubules or round or oblong
bags. There are two types of ER- Rough Endoplasmic
Reticulum and Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum. RER
has ribosomes. SER helps in the manufacture of lipids.
Golgi Apparatus
 TheGolgi Apparatus, first described by
Camillo Golgi consists if a system of
membrane bound vesicles arranged
approximately parallel to each other in
stacks called cisterns. It is also
involved in the formation of
Lysosomes.
Lysosomes
 Lysosomes are membrane bound sacs filled with
digestive enzymes.
 Foreign materials entering the cell such as bacteria and
food as well as old organelles end up in the lysosomes
which break complex substances into simpler
substances.
 During disturbance in the cellular metabolism,
lysosomes may burst and the enzymes digest their own
cell. Therefore they are also known as the ‘suicide bags’
of a cell.
Mitochondria
 Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell. They have
two membrane covering.
 The energy required for various chemical activities
needed for life is released by mitochondria in the form of
ATP
 The body uses the energy
stored in ATP for making new
chemical compounds and for
mechanical work.
Plastids
 Plastids are only present in the plant
cell. There are two types of plastids-
Chromoplasts(coloured plastids) and
leucoplasts(white or colourless
plastids).
 Chromoplasts containing chlorophyll
are known as chloroplast which are
important for photosynthesis in plants.
 Leucoplasts are primarily organelles
in which materials such as starch, oils
and protein granules are stored.
Vacuoles
 Vacuoles are storage sacs for solid
and liquid contents. Vacuoles are
small sized in animal cells while plant
cells have very large vacuoles.
 They provide turgidity and rigidity to
the cell.
 Many substances of importance in
the life of the plant cell are stored in
the vacuoles like amino acids, sugar,
various organic acid and some
proteins.
Cell Division
 The process by which new cells are made is called cell
division. There are two main types of cell division:
mitosis and meiosis.
 The process by which most of the cell divide for growth
is called mitosis, in this process each cell called mother
cell divides to form two identical daughter cell and have
the same number of chromosomes as the mother cell. It
helps in the growth and repair of the tissues in
organisms.
 Specific cells of
reproductive organs or
tissues in animals and
plants divide to form
gametes which after
fertillisation give rise to
offspring. They divide by a
different process called
meiosis. In meiosis a cell
divides into four new cell
instead of just two, the new
cells also have half the
number of chromosomes
than that of the mother
cells.