Amynaz Nathoo

Student#: AC1607733
SC160 Basic Biology

Assignment 3_03
8th November 2017

CELLS

Properties of life

In order to survive, all living organisms must have a set of shared functions or characteristics. There are

seven main characteristics of living organism; nutrition, respiration, movement, excretion, growth and

sensitivity.

1) Nutrition

Nutrition is the process by which living organisms obtain energy from materials that they take in from the

surrounding such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

2)Respiration

Respiration is the release of energy from food substances on all living cells in order to carry out processes

such as movement, growth etc.

3) movement

Movement is a characteristic that is present in all living organisms; both plants and animals. Although

movement in plants may be minimal, slow and difficult to see, it is an important characteristic.

4) excretion

Excretion is a process that occurs as a result of the many chemical reactions occurring in cells in order to

get rid of the toxic waste products that may poison the cells.
5) growth

Growth is a permanent process that involves food to produce new cells or increase the size of existing

ones.

6) Reproduction

Reproduction is the ability to produce offspring.

7) sensitivity

Sensitivity is the ability of living things to sense and respond to changes in their surrounding environment

such as light, temperature, water, gravity and chemicals.

The chemical components of cells

Most cells contain about 75% water. Water is an excellent solvent and most substances move about the

cells in solutions. This aids the process of digestion. Water molecules also take part in many vital

chemical reactions. For example, photosynthesis.

Proteins contribute to the structures of the cells e.g. cell membrane, mitochondria, ribosomes and

chromosomes. These are structural proteins. Another group of proteins are called enzymes. Enzymes

control the chemical reactions which keep the cells alive.

Lipids are oils or fats and substances related to or derived from them. Fats are formed from C H and O. 1

fat molecule = 3 fatty acids + 1 glycerol.

Lipids form part of the cell membrane and the internal membranes of cells such as the nuclear membrane.

Fats form a source of energy when stored in the cytoplasm of cells.

Carbohydrates may be simple soluble sugars or complex materials like starch and cellulose. They contain

C, H and O only. For example, glucose.

Salts are present in cells in the form of their ions e.g.. NaCl which will exist as Na+ and Cl-. Ions take

part in and influence many reactions in the cell e.g. PO43- is essential for energy transfer reactions.

CA2+, k+ and Na+ are essential in chemical changes related to electrical activities of a cell.

Cell anatomy and physiology

The cell is the basic unit of life. It is the structural and functional unit of all living organisms. The major

parts of the cell are the nucleus, cytoplasm and membrane.

The nucleus contains the cell DNA which is a type of nucleic acid. The role of the nucleic acids is to carry

genetic information which is inherited by an organism's offspring. The cytoplasm is separated by the

nucleus by the nuclear envelope. It contains organelles such as; Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, endoplasmic

reticulum and ribosomes all which are essential in carrying out the basic life processes such as

reproduction, growth and repair at the cellular level.

Cell respiration, photosynthesis and reproduction

Respiration is the process by which energy is produced from food. There are two pathways by which this

takes place:

1. Aerobic respiration- requires oxygen

C6H12O6 + 6O2--> 6CO2+6H20+283KJ

2. Anaerobic respiration can take place in the absence of oxygen

C6H1206--> 2C2H5OH+2CO2+118KJ

Plants need energy and raw materials as much as animals do. However, they dont take in food and

digest it like animals do. Plants get their raw materials from the soil, water, air and sunlight. They
 then carry out a process known as photosynthesis; this is the building up of food from carbon dioxide,

water by green plants using energy from the sunlight which is absorbed by chlorophyll.

6CO2 + 6H20 --> C6H12O6 + 6O2

Reproduction is an important process by which off springs are produced. There are two types of

reproduction; sexual and asexual. Sexual reproduction involves fusion of male and female gametes to

form a zygote. The fusion of the nuclei of male and female gametes is known as fertilization.

Asexual reproduction involves cell division whereby one cell divides into two separate daughter cells and

the process continues.

Mendel's Law

Mendel carried out a systematic study of patterns of inheritance which involved single characteristics. He

did this using a variety of pea plants as they were self-pollinating. His observations are summarized as

follows:

The first law (law of segregation) is expressed as, "of a pair of contrasted characters only one can

be represented in the gamete."

The second law, the law of independent assortment states that the alleles of one gene sort into

gametes independently of the alleles of another gene.

DNA structure and function

The nucleus contains genetic information in the form of DNA. The DNA in a chromosome consists of

two chains of nucleotides held together by chemical bonds between the bases. Adenine always pairs with

thymine and cytosine with guanine. The double strand is twisted to form a helix. DNA is the chemical

structure that forms genes. Each gene controls some part of the chemistry of the cell.
Cancer and gene control

A mutation is a spontaneous change in a gene or chromosome. In a gene mutation it may be that one or

more genes are not replicated correctly. A chromosome mutation may result from damage to or loss of

part of a chromosome during replication or even the gain of an extra chromosome as in Down's

syndrome. Cancer is a genetic disorder caused by DNA mutations that are acquired spontaneously or by

environmental insults. These genetic alterations are heritable. Accumulation of mutations gives rise to a

set of properties that have been called hallmarks of cancer. These include:

1. Self-sufficiency in growth

2. Lack of response to growth inhibitory signals.

3. Evasion of cell death

4. Limitless replicative potential

5. Development of angiogenesis to sustain growth of cancer cell.

6. Ability to invade local tissues and spread distant site

7. Reprogramming metabolic pathways

8. Evade immune system

Most mechanisms that control gene expression do so by controlling transcription, the synthesis of

MRNA. However, mere are other mechanisms for controlling the rate of protein synthesis e.g. splicing of

exons, controlling access to or efficiency of transport channels, modulating the degree to which MRNA is

degraded by enzymes, speeding or slowing down protein synthesis, phosphorylation.

REFERENCES:

http://assets.cambridge.org/97805216/80547/excerpt/9780521680547_excerpt.pdf

http://www.rapidlearningcenter.com/biology/anatomy-physiology/03-Cells-The-Basic-Unit-of-Life.html
IGCSE Biology, Second Edition, D G Mackean

https://peda.net/kenya/css/subjects/biology/form-three/ripaa

Robbins basic pathology , 9th edition

Biology, Eighth Edition (Raven)

https://highered.mheducation.com/sites/9834092339/student_view0/chapter16/control_of_gene_expressio

n_in_eukaryotes.html