THE CELL THEORY AND

CELL STRUCTURES
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
▪ Explain the postulates of the Cell Theory;
▪ Identify sample evidence of Cell Theory; and
▪ Describe the structure and function of major
and subcellular organelles
WHAT DO YOU THINK
ALL LIVING THINGS
HAVE IN COMMON?
Biology is the science of life.
All living organisms share
several key properties such
as order, response to
stimuli, reproduction,
growth and development,
regulation, homeostasis,
and energy processing.
Living things are highly organized
parts of a hierarchy.
WHAT IS A CELL?
EXAMPLES OF CELLS

Epithelial cells

Plant Stem

Red Blood Cell

Nerve Cell
 CYTOLOGY
- a branch of biology dealing with the
structure, function, multiplication,
pathology, and life history of cells; cell
biology.

CYTOTECHNOLOGIST
- Professionals who study cell via
miscroscopic examinations and other
laboratory tests. They are trained to
determine abnormalities in the cell samples.
HOW CAN WE STUDY CELLS?
Problem:
They are microscopic!

Solution:
Use a microscope!

Microscopes are required to visualize cells.

The earliest microscopes could magnify an
object up to 20 or 30 times its normal size.
 TYPES OF MICROSCOPES
1. Compound light
microscope

▪ the type of
microscope that has
more than one lens. It
has a combination of
lenses and two optical
parts known as an
objective lens and an
eyepiece or ocular
lens.
▪ Can observe living
cells
 TYPES OF MICROSCOPES
2. Electron microscope
▪ type of microscope in
which the source of
illumination is the
beam of accelerated
electrons. It is a
special type of
microscope with a high
resolution of images as
the images can be
magnified in
nanometers.
▪ essential for studying
ultra-small structures
and nanomaterials
DISCOVERY OF CELLS
▪ 1665- English Scientist, Robert Hooke, discovered
cells while looking at a thin slice of cork.
▪ He described the cells as tiny boxes or a honeycomb
DISCOVERY OF CELLS

▪ Robert Hooke
sketched these cork
cells as they appeared
under a simple light
microscope.
ANTON VAN LEUWENHOEK
▪ Father of Microbiology
▪ 1673- Used a handmade microscope to observe
pond scum & discovered single-celled organisms
▪ He called them “animalcules”

▪ He also observed blood cells from fish, birds, frogs,

dogs, and humans
▪ Therefore, it was known that cells are found in
animals as well as plants
Leeuwenhoek saw these things in pond water.
 150-200 YEAR GAP???
▪ Between the Hooke/Leuwenhoek discoveries
and the mid 19th century, very little cell
advancements were made.
▪ This is probably due to the widely accepted,
traditional belief in Spontaneous Generation.
▪ Examples:
-Mice from dirty clothes/corn husks
-Maggots from rotting meat
 SPONTANEOUS
GENERATION THEORY
▪states that life arose from
nonliving matter.
 Francesco Redi

One of the scientists who disproved the idea of spontaneous

generation.
19TH CENTURY ADVANCEMENT
▪ Much doubt existed around Spontaneous Generation
▪ Conclusively disproved by Louis Pasteur

Pasteur: Ummm, I
don’t think so!!!

?
=

+
 Swan Neck Flask

The design of the neck prevented airborne contaminants from

reaching the broth, effectively proving that microorganisms come
from existing ones, not from non-living matter.
DEVELOPMENT OF CELL THEORY
▪ 1838- German Botanist, Matthias Schleiden,
concluded that all plant parts are made of cells
▪ 1839- German physiologist, Theodor Schwann,
who was a close friend of Schleiden, stated that
all animal tissues are composed of cells.
DEVELOPMENT OF CELL THEORY
▪ 1855- Rudolf Virchow, German physician,
after extensive study of cellular pathology,
concluded that cells must arise from
preexisting cells.
 (a) Rudolf Virchow (1821–1902) popularized the cell theory in an 1855 essay entitled “Cellular
Pathology.” (b) The idea that all cells originate from other cells was first published in 1852 by his
contemporary and former colleague Robert Remak (1815–1865).
DEVELOPMENT OF CELL THEORY
▪ Together, their work formed the cell
theory, which states that:
▪ All living things are composed of
one or more cells.
▪ The cell is the basic unit of life.
▪ Cells arise from pre-existing cells.
 THE CELL THEORY
The 3 postulates of the Cell Theory
were now complete:
▪ 1. All organisms are composed of
one or more cells. (Schleiden &
Schwann)(1838-39)
▪ 2. The cell is the basic unit of life in
all living things. (Schleiden &
Schwann)(1838-39)
▪ 3. All cells are produced by the
division of preexisting cells.
(Virchow)(1858)
Why is the Cell Theory called a
Theory and not a Fact?
HOW HAS THE CELL THEORY BEEN USED?
▪ The basic discovered truths about cells,
listed in the Cell Theory, are the basis for
things such as:
▪ Disease/Health/Medical Research and Cures(AIDS,
Cancer, Vaccines, Cloning, Stem Cell Research, etc.)
CELL STRUCTURE
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
▪ Specifically, you are expected to
▪ 1. differentiate prokaryotic and eukaryotic
cell
▪ 2. identify the different cell organelles;
▪ 3. describe the structure and functions of the
cell organelles;
PROKARYOTIC VS EUKARYOTIC CELL
CHARACTERISTICS PROKARYOTIC EUKARYOTIC

SIZE OF CELL 0.1–5.0 µm 10-100 µm

EXAMPLE
BACTERIA AND PLANT AND
ARCHAEA ANIMAL
NUCLEUS ABSENT PRESENT

MEMBRANE-BOUND
ORGANELLES ABSENT PRESENT

LOCATION OF DNA NUCLEOID NUCLEUS

MEIOSIS AND
CELL DIVISION BINARY FISSION
MITOSIS
STRUCTURES SHARED BY ALL CELLS
 STRUCTURES SHARED BY ALL CELLS
The plasma membrane (also called the cell
membrane) phospholipid bilayer with embedded
proteins that separates the internal contents of cell
from its surrounding environment. It contains two
fatty acid chains and a phosphate-containing group.
 STRUCTURES SHARED BY ALL CELLS
Cytoplasm is the entire region of a cell within the
plasma membrane. The Cytoplasm is made up of a
watery substance called cytosol and contains other
cell structures such as ribosomes.
Ribosomes are organelles responsible for protein
synthesis.
 STRUCTURES SHARED BY ALL CELLS
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a nucleic acid found
in cells. It contains the genetic instructions that cells
need to make proteins. In all cell types, DNA is found
in the following locations:
1.Nucleus: In eukaryotic cells (like those in animals,
plants, and fungi), DNA is primarily located in the
nucleus, where it is organized into structures called
chromosomes.
2.Mitochondria: Eukaryotic cells also contain DNA
in their mitochondria (in animals) or plastids (in
plants, such as chloroplasts). This mitochondrial
DNA (mtDNA) is distinct from nuclear DNA and is
involved in producing energy for the cell.
 STRUCTURES SHARED BY ALL CELLS
3. Cytoplasm: In prokaryotic cells (like bacteria and
archaea), DNA is located in the cytoplasm because
these cells lack a nucleus. The DNA in prokaryotes is
typically organized in a single, circular chromosome
and may also include smaller, circular DNA
fragments called plasmids.
ENDOMEMBRANE
SYSTEM
(endo= “within”)
- group of membranes and organelles
in eukaryotic cells that work together
to modify, package, and transport
lipids and proteins.
Components of the Endomembrane System
Take a look at the schematic diagram of an animal cell below.
The different parts are as follows: (1) nucleolus, (2) nucleus, (3)
ribosomes, (4) vesicle, (5) rough endoplasmic reticulum, (6)
Golgi apparatus, (7) cytoskeleton, (8) smooth endoplasmic
reticulum, (9) mitochondrion, (10) vacuole, (11) cytosol, i.e. the
fluid that contains organelles, comprising the cytoplasm, (12)
lysosome, (13) centrosome, (14) cell membrane.
 SEATWORK
Of these 14 parts labeled in this diagram, only six are components
of the endomembrane system:
1. Nuclear envelope (#2)
2. Endoplasmic reticulum (#s 5 & 8)
3. Golgi apparatus (#6)
4. Lysosomes (#12)
5. Vesicles (#4)
6. Plasma membrane (or Cell membrane) (#14)

Describe the function of each organelles of the endomembrane

system. Write your answers in your notebook.
SOME PARTING THOUGHTS
▪ It is amazing to think that the cells that make
up our bodies are just as alive as we are.
Humans are just an intricately designed
community of cells, which must work
together to survive
SEATWORK
1. Who coined the term cell for the box like structure
he observed when viewing cork tissue?
a. Matthias Schleiden
b. Rudolf Virchow
c. Theodor Schwann
d. Robert Hooke
SEATWORK
2. New cells are created by the process called cell
division. Which of the following supports this
statement?
A. Cell is the basic unit of life.
B. Cell is the basic unit of function and structure.
C. All living and non-living things are made up of
cells.
D. The cell comes from the division of pre-existing
cells.
SEATWORK
3. What did Schleiden and Schwann both discover
individually?
A. All living things are composed of one or more cells.
B. Spontaneous generation of cells is an incorrect
theory.
C. All cells have organelles.
D. All livings things engage in metabolic functions.
SEATWORK
4. Which of the following statements is TRUE about cells?
I. Cells can either be unicellular or multicellular.
II. Cells are the smallest unit of life.
III. Cells are the products of another cell.
Which of these statements support the Cell Theory?
A. I & II only
B. II & III only
C. I & III only
D. I, II, & III
SEATWORK
5. Viruses infect cells and replicate themselves by utilizing
various enzymes and cellular components of their host cell.
Could you apply the same tenets of cell theory to viral
replication?
A. No, viruses do not strictly adhere to cell theory because
they are not living organisms.
B. No, viruses do not strictly adhere to cell theory because
viruses do not directly come from other viruses; they
require an intermediate cell to replicate.
C. Yes, viruses strictly adhere to cell theory because an
individual virus is a singular cellular unit.
D. Yes, viruses strictly adhere to cell theory because from
one virus directly arises another virus.
THANK YOU!