From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cell biology
is the study of how living
cells
work. This includes the
structure
and
function
of the cell
organelles
, and the
carbon
-based
molecules
which cells produce. Cell biology is an
interdisciplinary
subject, and uses ideas from
genetics
,
biochemistry
,
molecular biology
,
immunology
, and other subjects and techniques.
The most important molecules in cell biology are
DNA
,
RNA
and
proteins
.
[1]
The most important structures in the cell are the
nucleus
and the
chromosomes
, but there are others. The structure of
eukaryotic
cells is much more complex than
prokaryotic
cells. This is because
endosymbiosis
has occurred: some or all of the eukaryote organelles are former prokaryotes. Examples are
mitochondria
and
plastids
.
[2]
[3]
The most important function of cells is to
divide
by
mitosis
or
meiosis
. Cells in a
multicellular organism
also specialise in
different
functions, and the different types may look quite to each other.
- Cytology
is mostly about the appearance and structure of cells.
- ↑
Gall JG & McIntosh JR eds 2001.
Landmark papers in cell biology
. Bethesda, MD and Cold Spring Harbor, NY: The American Society for Cell Biology and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.
- ↑
Alberts B, Johnson A. Lewis J. Raff M. Roberts K. Walter P. 2008.
Molecular biology of the cell
, 5th ed. Garland.
- ↑
Lodish H. Berk A. Matsudaira P. Kaiser CA. Krieger M. Scott MP. Zipurksy SL. Darnell J. 2004.
Molecular cell biology
, 5th ed. WH Freeman: NY.