Eukaryotic Cells

Eukaryotic Cells

The cell may be regarded as the basic unit of an organism, it carries

out the essential processes that make the organism a living entity.

All cells share certain structural and functional features and they

are of almost universal occurrence in living organisms. Biologists

have devoted a great deal of attention to its structure and the

processes that go on inside it. They have recognised a major

distinction between two types of cells, Eukaryotic cells that have a

nucleus and Prokaryotic cells that do not have a nucleus. There are

many other differences between these two cells, in particular

eukaryotic cells have a full complement of membrane bound organelles

in their cytoplasm and are characterised by the possession of these

organelles. Eukaryotic cells are typical of a great majority of

organisms including all animal and plant cells and it is this type of

cell that we will be looking at. They are multicellular which means

they are composed of groups of specialised cells each performing a

particular function. They also show a high level of structural

complexity that allows an elaborate division of labour, which has

enabled them to reach high orders of functional complexity. The

biological membrane and the various molecular complexes embedded in

them must now be viewed as playing a central role in both cell

structure and its functions

All cells whether animal or plant has a cell surface that is known as

the plasma membrane. It is composed of a continuous double layer of

phospholipids within which protein molecules are embedded.

Phospholipids are polar molecules and a...

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...gment Chlorophyll is found. These membranes are embedded in a fluid

Stroma which contains the enzyme involved in light independent

reaction. The function of the thylakoid membranes is to hold the

chlorophyll molecules in a suitable position for trapping the maximum

amount of light energy. The internal organisation of the chloroplast

provides a large surface area without taking up too much room.

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