The Cell Theory

Robert Hooke- observe in a piece of cork specimen structures that looks like tiny compartments
similar to small rooms. He called these as cells. He thought that only plant and fungi were the
ones that are made up of cells. Then, Anton Van Leeuwenhoek published his observations on
living organisms in his book, animalcules. He was the first to observe the structure of red blood
cells and sperm cells. Theorists believed that living things may arise from non-living matter. Until
Louis Pasteur’s experiment disproved this theory. Then Robert Brown, compare diverse kinds of
plant specimens and found one thing common to them, the cells and it is composed of a dark
dense spot called the nucleus. Until, Mattias Schleiden concluded that all plant parts are
composed of cells. His friend, Theodor Schwann concluded that all animal tissues are composed
of cells too. Then Rudolf Virchow said that cells come from pre-existing cells. These discoveries
lead to the formulation of the cell theory. 1. All living organisms are composed of one or more
cells, 2. Cell is the basic unit of life in all living things, 3. Cells come from pre-existing cells,

Cells cannot be spontaneously created but it will always be a product of relationship from pre-
existing cell.

Cell Organelles

Roles are interdependent

Cell membrane- encloses, what goes in and out

Cytoplasm- fluid nature of cells environment
Nucleus- control center
Nucleolus- subunits of ribosomes are assembled
Ribosomes- protein synthesis
Endoplasmic reticulum- transport system
Rough- production of secretory proteins
Smooth- metabolic processes
Transport vesicles- transit of products being made by the ribosomes attached in er
Golgi bodies- packaging, sorting, refining of products
Central vacuole- main compartment for storing essential organic and inorganic compound
Lysosome- (animal cell) intracellular digestion
Mitochondrion- powerhouse of the cell, cellular respiration
Chloroplast- (plant cell, photosynthesis eukaryotic organism) food production
Cytoskeleton- establishes the form of cell, holds the cell in place
- Microfilaments, microtubules, intermediate filaments
Cilia and flagella- movement of cell
Cell’s endomembrane system (synthesis of materials, transporting, packaging, metabolism,
detoxification of substance)

- Endoplasmic reticulum
- Golgi bodies
- Lysosomes
- Transport vesicles
- vacuoles
- Membrane-bound organelles

Cell types

Prokaryotic- unicellular, 1-10 micrometer

Eukaryotic-multicellular, 10-100 micrometer, nucleus