Cell Biology Fundamentals and Discovery

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the history of cell discovery, cell theory, and the structural differences between prokaryotic, eukaryotic, plant, and animal cells.

Cell

The basic structural and functional unit of cellular organisms, excluding viruses; derived from the Latin word meaning "small room."

Levels of Organisation

The structural hierarchy in biology consisting of: Cell → Tissue → Organ → Organ system.

Cell Biology

The branch of biological science dealing with the study of the structure, function, molecular organization, growth, reproduction, and genetics of cells.

Robert Hooke

An English microscopist who discovered cells in 1665 using a compound microscope to view cork slice structures.

Micrographia

The book published by Robert Hooke in which he described box-like structures in cork and named them "Cells."

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

The first person to observe living microbes (animalcules) and bacteria using a handcrafted simple microscope in 1674.

Animalcules

The term used by Leeuwenhoek to describe the teeming microscopic organisms he observed in pond water.

Matthias Schleiden

A German botanist who observed in 1838 that all plant tissues are composed of cells.

Theodor Schwann

A German zoologist who realized in 1839 that animals are composed of cellular units and proposed the first two principles of Cell Theory.

Cell Theory Principles

1) All organisms consist of 1 or more cells. 2) The cell is the structural unit of life. 3) Living cells arise only from other living cells.

Rudolf Virchow

A German physician who demonstrated biogenesis: that living cells could arise only from other living cells.

Biogenesis

The principle that living cells arise only from other living cells, as opposed to abiogenesis (arising from inanimate matter).

HeLa cells

The first culture of human cells, started in 1951 by George and Martha Gey, named after the donor Henrietta Lacks.

In vitro

Processes or cells grown in culture, outside of the living body.

Metabolism

The sum total of all the chemical reactions occurring within a cell.

Enzymes

Molecules that greatly increase the rate at which chemical reactions occur within a cell.

Motor proteins

Specific types of molecular machines that initiate dynamic mechanical changes and movements within cells.

Prokaryotic

Cells characterized by the absence of a true membrane-bound nucleus and organelles, such as bacteria and archaea.

Eukaryotic

Cells containing a true nucleus with a nuclear membrane and membrane-bound organelles, found in protists, fungi, plants, and animals.

Nucleoid

The region in a prokaryotic cell where the single, circular, double-stranded chromosomal DNA is located.

70S Ribosomes

The smaller type of ribosome found in prokaryotic cells and within eukaryotic organelles.

80S Ribosomes

The larger type of ribosome found in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells.

Binary Fission

The simple and fast method of cell division used by prokaryotic cells.

Tonoplast

The membrane that surrounds the large central vacuole in a plant cell.

Middle Lamella

A pectin-rich layer in plant tissues that provides structural support between adjacent cell walls.

Plasmodesmata

Channels in plant cell walls used for intercellular communication.

Chloroplast

A type of plastid derived from proplastids that contains chlorophyll and is responsible for photosynthesis.

Chromoplast

A plastid that stores carotenoid pigments, resulting in red, orange, or yellow colors.

Leucoplast

A non-pigmented plastid used for the storage of starch, oils, or proteins.

Amyloplast

A specific type of leucoplast that stores starch.

Elaioplast

A specific type of leucoplast that stores lipids.

Proteinoplast

A specific type of leucoplast that stores proteins.

Glyoxysome

A specialized peroxisome in germinating seeds responsible for the glyoxylate cycle, converting lipids to sugar.

Conjugation

A process in prokaryotes where a piece of DNA is passed from one cell to another.

ATP

The readily available form of chemical energy stored by cells to power energy-requiring activities.

Peptidoglycan

The material that typically composes the cell wall of bacteria.