Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Diagram of a prokaryotic cell, a bacterium with a flagellum. A prokaryote (/ p r oʊ ˈ k ær i oʊ t,-ə t /; less commonly spelled procaryote) [1] is a single-celled organism whose cell lacks a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. [2]
The DNA of a prokaryotic cell consists of a single circular chromosome that is in direct contact with the cytoplasm. The nuclear region in the cytoplasm is called the nucleoid. Most prokaryotes are the smallest of all organisms, ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 μm in diameter. [1] [page needed] A prokaryotic cell has three regions:
Cell physiology is the biological study of the activities that take place in a cell to keep it alive. The term physiology refers to normal functions in a living organism . [ 1 ] Animal cells , plant cells and microorganism cells show similarities in their functions even though they vary in structure.
Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. [1] [2] All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and functioning of organisms. [3] Cell biology is the study of the structural and functional ...
The cytoplasm describes all the material within a eukaryotic or prokaryotic cell, enclosed by the cell membrane, including the organelles [1] and excluding the nucleus in eukaryotic cells. The material inside the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell and contained within the nuclear membrane is termed the nucleoplasm.
Although probable prokaryotic cell fossils date to almost 3.5 billion years ago, most prokaryotes do not have distinctive morphologies, and fossil shapes cannot be used to identify them as archaea. [58] Instead, chemical fossils of unique lipids are more informative because such compounds do not occur in other organisms. [59]
The prokaryotic cytoskeletal elements are matched with their eukaryotic homologue and hypothesized cellular function. [1] The prokaryotic cytoskeleton is the collective name for all structural filaments in prokaryotes. [2] Some of these proteins are analogues of those in eukaryotes, while others are unique to prokaryotes.
The chemical composition and mechanical properties of the cell wall are linked with plant cell growth and morphogenesis. [11] In multicellular organisms, they permit the organism to build and hold a definite shape. Cell walls also limit the entry of large molecules that may be toxic to the cell.