Introduction and learning objectives
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In this first lesson, you will learn the basics of cytology - the study of the structure and function of cells. The learning content of this lesson is an important basis for the understanding of all further chapters. We start this chapter with the organization of the cell and look at the different relevant components. These are structure-forming elements as well as functionally important cell organelles.
You will learn about the different types of genetic information that can serve as blueprints for different proteins. We will then follow the path from the amino acid to the finished protein - produced by the cell itself. The reproduction of cells by division, which is the basis for the growth of an organism, is also addressed in this lesson. The formation of germ cells is important for the reproduction of individuals, it is also covered in this lesson. As a digression and an introduction to the next lesson, we present the differentiation of cells, as well as their organization in a compound of similar cells - called tissue. Finally, there is an insight into a patient's case - also called a case report. You will see that this chapter - which may seem a bit theoretical - is quite important for your later practical work.
In this chapter, you will learn about the structure of an organism at the cellular level. Cells are the smallest functional units of a living being, whose structural units consist of atoms and molecules. The science that deals with the structure and function of cells and their components is called cytology. As a compound, cells can form various tissues and are thus the basis for the subsequent, higher structures (organs and the whole organism). This is graphically illustrated in the following pyramid. If you internalize this important structure, you will always have an overview and learning will be much easier. [1]
However, some organisms, such as bacteria, are also independently viable as single-celled organisms. A distinction is made between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Prokaryotes are cells that do not have a cell nucleus. They can be divided into the two domains bacteria and archaea. Eukaryotic cells are generally larger than prokaryotic cells, possess a nucleus, and exhibit more compartmentalization. They are found in fungi, plants, animals, and humans. In the following chapter “Cytology”, we will deal exclusively with the eukaryotic cell.
Hierarchy of structural levels of an organism
There are over 100,000 billion cells in an organism, of which several million are newly formed or broken down every second. [2]
Learning objectives [more ...]
After working through this chapter, students will know and understand
- the structure of the cell
- the different cell organelles and their function
- the cell metabolism
- characteristics of different cell types.