In this lesson, we discuss the similarities and differences between the

eukaryotic cells of your body and prokaryotic cells such as bacteria.

Eukaryotes organize different functions within specialized membrane-bound
compartments called organelles. These structures do not exist in prokaryotes.

Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells

Your body's composed of trillions of cells - lots of different types of cells that
make up different organs and other parts of your body. Your body is also where
10 times that number of bacteria call 'home sweet home.' But, don't be afraid -
these bacteria do more good than harm to you. And besides, just in case you
wanted to strike up a conversation with your tenants, you and your bacteria do
have a few things in common.

All cells share some common characteristics that make them living things. All
organisms are composed of cells, the basic fundamental unit of life. They
contain DNA as a heritable genetic material, and they can reproduce. They
transcribe DNA into RNA and translate RNA into proteins on ribosomes. They
can also regulate transport across a cell membrane and require chemical
energy for some cellular processes.

Organelles are the biggest difference between bacteria and cells that make up the
human body.

The number one biggest difference between the bacteria in your body and the
cells making up your body are these tiny cellular components
called organelles. You've actually learned a lot about organelles in other
lessons without knowing it. Organelles are simply membrane-bound
compartments within a cell, such as the nucleus, mitochondria, chloroplasts,
Golgi, and endoplasmic reticulum.

You are a eukaryote. Your cells are eukaryotic. Eukaryotic cells contain
membrane-bound organelles, including a nucleus. Eukaryotes can be single-
celled or multi-celled, such as you, me, plants, fungi, and insects.
Bacteria are an example of prokaryotes. Prokaryotic cells do not contain a
nucleus or any other membrane-bound organelle. Prokaryotes include two
groups: bacteria and another group called archaea.

Having organelles is a big deal for a cell. A bacteria cell gets along just fine
without organelles, but bacteria are tiny. That's why we're able to have so
many of them in our body without really noticing them. Our cells, though -
they're still small to the naked eye, but they're huge in comparison to bacteria.
Our eukaryotic cells are bigger in size, with much more DNA. More DNA means
more transcription, and more transcription means more translation, and more
translation means more proteins. Bigger cells create the need for organelles.

You can think of it this way. If you only had two pairs of shoes and a few simple
outfits, you could just hang up your outfits and put your shoes on the floor
inside a small closet. Simple. However, let's say you have a shopping addiction,
and you have seven different pairs of black pants, ten pairs of shoes in
completely different shades of brown (and other colors, of course), and you
hardly ever wear the same hat twice. You can imagine that you would need a
walk-in closet, complete with shelving systems to organize everything, right?

Well, organelles are an efficient way to organize everything that's going on in

the cell - to compartmentalize cellular functions. That's exactly what a
eukaryotic cell is doing - separating cellular processes and organizing its
space. But, don't be fooled by the 'simplicity' of prokaryotes. Their smaller size
and simplicity is an advantage to their lifestyle.

Different Features of Prokaryotes

Since prokaryotes do not have nuclei, their DNA is housed in a nucleoid.

If you have a lot of shoes and a walk-in closet, the nucleus would obviously be
the shoe rack - a structure to hold and organize all this important material.
Having a nucleus or not is the biggest difference between eukaryotes and
prokaryotes. Remember that your eukaryotic cells have linear DNA. Prokaryotic
cells have a smaller, circular DNA genome. With a smaller size and a smaller
genome, prokaryotes don't really need a nucleus. Their DNA is housed in
a nucleoid, which isn't really a structure at all. There are no membranes
around it, so it's not a separated compartment. The nucleoid is simply the area
where DNA exists.

What are the Differences Between

Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells?
These two kinds of cells make up every living thing around us.

By  Trevor English
October 01, 2019
cogal/iStock

Life on Earth is usually characterized into two main classes (also called domains):
Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes (a third class, Archea, can be thought of as a type of
Prokaryote).

Each of these types contains unique structural and biochemical differences which

differentiate them from each other.

So, what are the differences between Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic cells? How are they
similar, and how are they different?

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Types of Organisms
Living things are generally divided into three different groups: Bacteria, Archaea, and
Eukarya.
Bacteria and Archaea are primarily single-celled organisms classified as Prokaryotes.
By matter of definition, prokaryotic cells tend to be the simplest, tiniest, and most
ancient of cells here on earth.

Most other organisms that fall outside of the Bacteria and Archaea categories are placed
in the Eukarya group and are made up of eukaryotic cells.

Eukaryotes are not limited by the number of cells there are in the organism. They can be
single-celled or have many millions of cells. Eukaryotes include plants, animals, and
fungi, as well as other organisms, such as protists and some algae. 

Source: Bernard Spragg/Picryl
Prokaryotes developed earliest in the history of life on earth, with Eukaryotes
developing around 2.7 billion years ago, roughly 1 to 1.5 billion years after
prokaryotic organisms.
One theory is that eukaryotic cells evolved from a symbiotic association of prokaryotes,
called endosymbiosis — for example, bacteria living inside a larger host cell. Over time,
the prokaryotes and their hosts evolved together until one could not function without the
other.

Enough of the evolutionary background, though, what separates these two types of
cells?

How do prokaryotes and eukaryotes differ?

 To properly break down the differences of these cells, we'll break down the explanation
into specific parts of each cell – starting with the nucleus and DNA.

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Nucleus/DNA:
Eukaryotic cells are comprised of a nucleus surrounded by an envelope made up of two
membranes. The nucleus in eukaryotic cells holds the DNA.

In Prokaryotic cells, on the other hand, there is no nucleus, but rather a nucleoid region
that has no separate membrane. This region of the cell holds the DNA, which is
generally free-floating.

If we look deeper into the DNA of the respective cells, in both types of cell, the DNA is
contained in chromosomes.

Eukaryotic cells have multiple linear chromosomes which undergo meiosis and mitosis
as the eukaryotic cells replicate. However, the cells of prokaryotic organisms usually
contain just one, circular chromosome. But, some studies have shown that some
prokaryotes may have as many as four chromosomes.

Organelles in Eukaryotic Cells:

Eukaryotic cells contain multiple, membrane-bound organelles that are not present in
the simpler prokaryotic cells. These include organelles such as the mitochondria (the
powerhouse of the cell), endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi complex and, in plant cells,
chloroplasts. All of these individual organelles are contained in the cytoplasm of the
eukaryotic cell.

Prokaryotic cells also have cytoplasm, but it doesn't house any membrane-bound
organelles.

Source: Science Primer/Wikimedia

Ribosomes:
Both types of cells have ribosomes, but in eukaryotic cells, the ribosomes are bigger and
more complex. They are also bound by a membrane and may be found in the cytoplasm,
nuclear membrane, and even the endoplasmic reticulum. In prokaryotic cells, on the
other hand, the ribosomes are scattered and floating freely throughout the cytoplasm.
Stepping back for a moment, Ribosomes are complex macromolecules which synthesize
proteins. These proteins are essential to cell function and repair.

One notable difference between the ribosomes in both cells are the size of the pieces
that make them up. In both types of cells, the ribosomes are made up of two subunits, a
small one and a large one.

In Eukaryotes, these subunits are larger, recognized as 60S and 40S (the S stands for
'svedbergs,' a unit used to measure how fast molecules move in a centrifuge). In
Prokaryotes, these subunits are smaller, recognized as 50S and 30S.

This all may sound like a lot of jargon, but the difference in subunits is important, as it
has allowed scientists to develop antibiotic drugs that attach to certain types of bacteria. 

The difference is also notable in more negative aspects. For example, the polio virus
uses the differences in ribosomes to seek out and attach to ribosomes in eukaryotic cells,
affecting their ability to translate messenger RNA into proteins.

Reproduction:
Most Eukaryotic cells reproduce sexually, through meiosis, whereas prokaryotes
reproduce asexually, through binary fission, which is similar to mitosis. This means that
the resulting cells of prokaryotes are exact clones of the parent cells.

In meiosis, the number of chromosomes in the cell is reduced by half, creating four
haploid cells, which are each genetically distinct from the parent cell that gave rise to
them. 

Cell Walls:
Most Prokaryotic cells have a rigid cell wall around their plasma membrane. In single-
celled organisms, this rigid cell wall gives shape to the organism. In Eukaryotes,
vertebrates do not have cell walls, although plant cells do. 
 Comparing the cell walls of prokaryotes and eukaryotic plant cells, the two also differ
chemically. Plant cell walls are primarily composed of cellulose, but in many
prokaryotic cells, the cell walls are composed of peptidoglycans, which is essentially a
combination of sugars and amino acids. 

After all of that individual breakdown, you may still be wondering how you can tell the
two different cells apart, so here's a straight and simple answer.

The main differences between the cells are the presence or absence of a nucleus, the
size, and complexity of the ribosomes, the method of reproduction, and the presence or
absence of a cell wall. 

Eukaryotes have a nucleus with a membrane, larger ribosome subunits, usually reproduce
sexually, and have no cell wall invertebrates, but do have a cell wall in plants. Prokaryotes
have no membrane around the nucleus, smaller ribosomal subunits, reproduce asexually, and
do have cell walls. 

What do prokaryotes and eukaryotes have in

common?
These two types of cells do have several things in common; after all, each type is still a
cell. Here are the key similarities:

 Both types of cells have DNA, which codes, and determines the characteristics of
the cells.
 Both types of cells have an outer membrane that separates them from the
environment and acts as a sort of gate for incoming and outgoing substances.
 Eukaryotes and Prokaryotes both have cytoplasm inside their cells.
 Finally, as mentioned before, both cells have ribosomes which make proteins.