The Fundamental Unit of Life

• The cell is the basic unit of life.
• Cells are found everywhere, from single-celled organisms to multicellular organisms like plants and animals.
• All cells have certain characteristics that make them unique.
• All living things consist of one or more cells.
• A single-celled organism can be as small as a bacterium (0.2 micrometers) or as large as an amoeba (100 micrometers).
• A cell is an organized structure made up of various components such as cytoplasm, nucleus, mitochondria, ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosome, vacuole, plasma membrane, cytoskeleton, and extracellular matrix.
• Cytoplasm - A gelatinous substance within the cell where most chemical reactions occur.
• Cytoplasm - A gelatinous substance within the cell where most chemical reactions take place.
• Cells can be classified into two types based on their structure: prokaryotic (bacterial) and eukaryotic (plant/animal).
• Nucleus - Contains genetic material (DNA) which controls all activities of the cell.
• Prokaryotes lack membrane-bound nuclei and other membrane-bound organelles.
• Plants and animals both have specialized cells with specific roles within their bodies.
• Multicellular organisms contain many different types of specialized cells working together to carry out various functions.
• Nucleus - Contains genetic material called DNA which controls all activities of the cell.
• Mitochondrion - Responsible for producing energy through respiration.
• Ribosome - Site of protein synthesis.
• Some examples of specialized plant cells include root hair cells, guard cells, xylem vessels, phloem sieve tube elements, parenchyma cells, collenchyma cells, sclerenchyma cells, epidermis cells, and meristematic cells.
• Prokaryotes are unicellular microorganisms that lack a true nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles found in eukaryotic cells.
• Mitochondrion - Site of aerobic respiration that produces energy for the cell.
• Ribosome - Sites of protein synthesis.
• Eukaryotes have a true nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles enclosed by a nuclear envelope.
• The cell wall provides structural support to plant cells and helps maintain turgor pressure.
• Endoplasmic Reticulum - Network of tubules involved in transporting materials throughout the cell.
• Eukaryotes have membrane-bound nuclei and other membrane-bound organelles.
• The term protoplasm was coined by-


  Purkinje
• The flexibility of plasma membrane can be contributed to the presence of-

  Lipids and Proteins as phospholipids
• A cell swells up when-

  Movement of the solvent takes place from outside to inside of the cell. This process is called endosmosis. It is present in hypotonic solutions.
• What is the cellular function performed by the ER?


  The digestive or hydrolytic enzymes are produced by rough endoplasmic reticulum for the synthesis of lysosomes.