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A Journey Through A Cell
#1
Cell is the tiny and the basic unit of the complex body structure. Group of cells forms tissues and group of tissues evolve into organs. The discovery and research on cell forms the basis for all the drastic development in the field of biotechnology. Like a human body composed of many organs, each cell has several components carrying out specific functions of the cell. Understanding the cell as a whole is significant to all biologists and biotechnologist. In this view, all the organelles of a cell and its functions are discussed.

The various organelles of a cell are cell membrane, nucleus, centrosome/microtubule, Golgi body, Mitochondria, Ribosome, Endoplasmic reticulum, cytoplasm, Lysosome and vacuole. These organelles have their own specific function contributing to the overall function of a cell. The role of each organelle is discussed below.

The Cell membrane: The protective covering of a cell, semi permeable in nature manages the substances entering the cell by allowing some substances into the cell and restricting others. Some of the diseases like Hyaline membrane disease, Alzheimer disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy disrupts the cell membrane and causes dysfunction of the membrane.

The Nucleus: The nucleus of a cell holds the DNA, the genetic material. The nucleus has nucleolus where the rRNA is synthesized and also the nucleus has its own covering called the nuclear membrane. The complete understanding and research on the nucleus of a cell have unfolded the mystery behind many genetic disorders.

Cytoplasm: The area between the cell nucleus and the cell membrane where the other organelles are present.
Centrosome: Centrosome, also called as microtubule based on its structure, comprising of thick centre surrounded by projected tubules. This is situated close to the nucleus and aids in the reproduction of the cell by dividing (mitosis). The dysfunction of the components of centrosome is associated with cancer and disease like microcephaly. The absence or dysfunction of the tubules/cilia of the centrosome contributes to ciliopathies which categorizes various complex diseases.

Lysosomes: Lysosomes are called by various names like ‘stomach of the cell’, ‘recycling centre of the cell’ and ‘suicidal bags’ because of its unique function of cellular digestion and cellular substrate management. Lysosomal dysfunction causes various diseases classified under Lysosomal storage disorder.

Golgi body: Also called as the Golgi apparatus, synthesizes a membrane that surrounds the lysosome. This organelle of the cell helps in exporting the proteins and carbohydrates from the cell by packing them into membrane bound vesicles. The golgi body linked disorder is a group of congenital disorder of glycosylation.

Mitochondria: Generally called as the power house of the cell which generates energy for the cell by converting glucose into adenosine tri phosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, Kearns-Sayre syndrome, ataxia, lactic acidosis, strokes are some of the diseases due to mitochondrial dysfunction.

Ribosome: Ribosomes, the granular particles which are either freely dispersed in the cytoplasm or attached to endoplasmic reticulum is rich in RNA and acts as the protein synthesis site. Diamond-Black fan anemia, Cartilage Hair hypoplasia, Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome, Dyskeratosis are some of the diseases associated with ribosomes.

Endoplasmic Reticulum(ER): Endoplasmic reticulum extends from the outer nuclear membrane in the cytoplasm. They are classified as rough endoplasmic reticulum and smooth endoplasmic reticulum. The rough ER have ribosomes attached to it and whereas smooth ER has no ribosomes. The rough ER is involved in the production of various proteins whereas the smooth ER manufactures lipids and other membrane proteins and also aids the transport of the produced substances to other cytoplasmic constituents like lysosome, Golgi apparatus and cell membrane.
The hyper or hypo functioning of the endoplasmic reticulum imposes a stress on the endoplasmic reticulum. This endoplasmic stress leads to various diseases like metabolic disorders including diabetes mellitus, neuro degenerative diseases and cancer.

Vacuole: Vacuole can be called as the storage unit of a cell composed of the entire digestive and digested material of a cell.

Thus the various organelles of a cell, its role in cellular function on the whole are discussed. The cell, organelles of a cell, properties of cell, types of cells and their functions, are all discussed under one roof called cell biology. Good knowledge on the subject of cell biology is significant in understanding other fields like molecular biology, biochemistry, clinical biochemistry, genetics, animal cell culture and animal cell biotechnology.
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#2
Cells are called as the fundamental component of life. The development of Cell Theory is credited to three scientists namely Theodor Schwann, Matthias Schleiden and Rudolph Virchow. According to cell Theory, every organism is composed of one or more cells and the derivatives of those cells. Each cell carries out life activities, grows, requires energy and attains a limited size. Novel cells arise only from the pre existing cells by the method of cell division. An Organelle in cell biology is one of numerous structures within the cell which has specialized function and is suspended in the cytoplasm.
There are also non membrane bound organelles that are huge assemblage of macromolecules in the cytoplasm that carry out specialized functions. Such cell structures include: cytoskeleton, ribosome, centriole, cilia and flagellum and proteasome.
The cytoskeleton renders support and movement for a cell and its organelles. It is composed of a network of protein filaments, fibers and tubules.
The Animal cell organelles that are not found in plant cell include cilia and flagella. Cilia and flagella are the organelles that are hair like which extend from the surface of several cells of animal. Both the structures are somewhat identical except that flagella are much longer and whip like and cilia are shorter structures. A cell contains usually a few flagella while cilia may be present over the entire cell surface. Flagella and cilia helps for locomotion in single celled organisms and for the movement of substances over cell surfaces in multi-cellular individuals.
Centrioles that are present in animal cells have paired structures near the nucleus that are composed of a cylinder of microtubule pairs that assists in the separation of chromosome pairs during cell division.
The protein complexes that are present within every Eukaryotes, Bacteria and Archaea are termed as proteosomes. They are situated in the nucleus and cytoplasm of the eukaryotes and functions to degrade damaged or unwanted proteins by proteolysis.
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#3
Bacterial Cells and Its Importance:

They are distinct to human beings as living belongings can be, but bacteria are essential to human life and life on Earth. Even though they are infamous for their role in causing human diseases, from tooth decay to the Black Plague, there are beneficial species that are essential to good health.

One species that lives symbiotically in the large intestine produces vitamin K, an essential blood clotting factor. Other species are beneficial indirectly. Bacteria give yogurt its tangy flavor and sourdough breads its sour taste. They make it promising for ruminant animals (cows, sheep, goats) to digest plant cellulose and for some plants, (soybean, peas, alfalfa) to convert nitrogen to a more usable form.

Bacteria are prokaryotes, missing well-defined nuclei and membrane-bound organelles, and with chromosomes composed of a single closed DNA circle. They come in many shapes and sizes, from minute spheres, cylinders and spiral threads, to flagellated rods, and filamentous chains. They are found practically everywhere on Earth and live in some of the most strange and seemingly unwelcoming places.

Facts shows that bacteria were in existence as long as 3.5 billion years ago, making them one of the oldest living organisms on the Earth. Even older than the bacteria are the archeans (also called archaebacteria) minute prokaryotic organisms that live only in extreme environments: boiling water, super-salty pools, sulfur-spewing volcanic vents, acidic water, and deep in the Antarctic ice. Many scientists now believe that the archaea and bacteria developed separately from a common ancestor nearly four billion years ago. Millions of years later, the ancestors of today's eukaryotes split off from the archaea. Despite the superficial resemblance to bacteria, biochemically and genetically, the archea are as dissimilar from bacteria as bacteria are from humans.

Antoni van Leeuwenhoek became the first to study bacteria under the microscope. During the nineteenth century, the French scientist Louis Pasteur and the German physician Robert Koch established the role of bacteria as pathogens (causing disease). The twentieth century saw numerous advances in bacteriology, indicating their diversity, ancient lineage, and general importance. Most remarkably, a number of scientists around the world made contributions to the field of microbial ecology, showing that bacteria were essential to food webs and for the overall health of the Earth's ecosystems. The discovery that some bacteria produced compounds lethal to other bacteria led to the development of antibiotics, which revolutionized the field of medicine.
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