Cells are the essential component of life, comprised of billions of molecules. Molecules such as DNA, lipids, proteins, RNA, glycans, and small molecules that have defined molecular properties and biological activities. Every cell has the ability to respond to its environment and to communicate with other cells to create organs, tissues, and whole organisms. Cell and Molecular Biology is a field that bridges the fields of chemistry, structure and biology as it pursues to comprehend life and cellular developments at the molecular level. It’s important to determine the mechanisms that allow cells to have distinguished properties and synchronize the activities that form the vital structures which define a living cell. This will, one day, be crucial …show more content…
There are numerous types of cancer, each on classified by the type of cell that was originally affected. Cancer harms the body when injured cells uncontrollably divide to form lumps of tissue. These masses are known as tumors. The case of leukemia is the exception. Leukemia is characterized by cancer prohibiting normal blood function by irregular cell division in the blood stream. Tumors can grow and interfere with the nervous, circulatory, and digestive systems. They can modify the body function by releasing hormones. Tumors that are considered to be benign tend to show very little growth and stay in a single spot. Malignant tumors form when two things occur. First, in a process called invasion, a cancerous cell destroys healthy tissue by moving throughout the body using the lymph or blood systems. In a process called angiogenesis the cell manages to divide and grow, creating new blood vessels to nourish itself. A tumor is said to have metastasized when it successfully spreads to other parts of the body and grows, destroying other healthy tissues, it. The result metastasis is a serious condition that is very difficult to treat. Regulation of gene expression refers to the control of the amount and timing of appearance of the functional product of a gene. A cell must produce the gene products it needs when it needs them. This is why control of expression is so important. This allows cells the flexibility to adapt to a variable environment, damage to the cell, external signals, and so on. More generally gene regulation gives the cell control over all structure and function, and is the basis for cellular differentiation, morphogenesis and the versatility and adaptability of any organism. In general gene expression is regulated through changes in the number and type of interactions between molecules that collectively influence transcription of DNA and translation of
The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher by Lewis Thomas consists of short, insightful essays that offer the reader a different perspective on the world and on ourselves.
1)"Big Idea 2: Cellular Processes: Energy and Communication." AP Biology Investigative Labs: An Inquiry-based Approach. Ed. The College Board. New York: College Board, 2012. 51-61. Print.
to construct and or maintain the cell membrane. In a microscopic view of the cell membrane we can
“According to Dr. Lipton, the true secret to life does not lie within your DNA, but rather within the mechanisms of your cell membrane.”
The cell cycle is the process by which cells progress and divide. In normal cells, the cell cycle is controlled by a complex series of signaling pathways by which a cell grows, replicates it’s DNA and divides, these are called proto-oncogenes. A proto-oncogene is a normal gene that could become an oncogene due to mutations. This process has mechanisms to ensure that errors are corrected, if they are not, the cells commit suicide (apoptosis). This process is tightly regulated by the genes within a cell’s nucleus. In cancer, as a result of genetic mutations, this process malfunctions, resulting in uncontrolled cell proliferation. Mutations in proto-oncogene or in a tumour suppressor gene allow a cancerous cell to grow and divide without the normal control imposed by the cell cycle. A change in the DNA sequence of the proto-oncogene gives rise to an oncogene, which
8. Becker W. M, Hardin J, Kleinsmith L.J an Bertoni G (2010) Becker’s World of the Cell, 8th edition, San Francisco, Pearson Education Inc- Accessed 23/11/2013.
Cancer is a disease that affects human somatic cells. It causes the cells to divide uncontrollably and form masses known as tumors. There are two different types of cancer tumors. Some tumors are benign and other tumors are malignant. Benign tumors look similar to the tissues that they came from and develop slowly. The tumor remains in the same area that the tumor originated in. Malignant tumors are formed from cells that do not resemble the tissue that they came from. They vary in shape and size. This enables pieces of the tumor to break off and spread to other places in the body. Over the past few decades cancer has become a very prominent disease. There are many different types of cancer and many different causes for the the disease. Most cancers are because of a genetic mutation. The most common type occur when a cell is dividing. Proto-oncogenes, which are alleles in a normal cells, mutate to form oncogenes. These oncogenes cause cancer because they do not allow the cells to self destruct or become epistatic. There have been several research projects which have been testing epistatis.
Cells are the basic building blocks of all living things. The human body is composed of trillions of cells. They provide structure for the body, take in nutrients from food, convert those nutrients into energy, and carry out specialized functions. But it also contains highly organized physical structures which are called intracellular organelles. These organelles are important for cellular function. For instance Mitochondria is the one of most important organelle of the cell. Without Mitochondria more than 95% of the cell’s energy, which release from nutrients would cease immediately [Guyton et al. 2007].
Tumors are formed by the alteration of the body’s own cells. This can be caused by environmental factors such as radiation, like UV exposure, chemicals or viruses 1. These can disrupt genes that control growth and cause an increase in cell division and proliferation. Proto-oncogenes are those genes that control normal but essential cell processes that keep cell growth and death in check. Two important categories are apoptosis genes, which regulate cell death, and tumor suppressor genes, which decrease cell propagation 1 . If these genes were mutated to the point where they cannot produce a functioning protein, cell division would continue far past what it was supposed to and unhealthy cells would be allowed to live and continue to multiply. This is what creates a malignant tumor. Certain conditions in the body can also promote the growth of cancer cells. One of these is a deficiency of natural killer (NK) cells, which are able to kill cancer cells by creating a pore in the cell membrane with perforin and releasing granzymes into the cell. Low levels of perforin allow for tumor growth 1. Chronic inflammation can also ...
Plant and Animal Cells I. Introduction All organisms in life are composed of at least one or more cells. Cells are the basic units of life. There are three main features of a cell. First, all organisms consist of one or more cells.
To take my initial steps towards research, I spent the winter during my sophomore year working on a project at microbiology laboratory under Dr. Anil Limaye, Assistant Professor, IIT Guwahati. Apart from gaining valuable knowledge in bacteriology by surveying various literature works, I learned basic techniques such as bacterial culture and transformation. A diverse spectrum of laboratory courses like Molecular Biotechnology Laboratory, Biomolecular Analysis Laboratory and Biochemical Engineering Laboratory have trained me in several basic techniques like Plasmid extraction, Gel Electrophoresis, Purification and Estimation of proteins etc. Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Lab have helped me attain various bioinformatics skills like Analysis of protein structure and Comparative genomics & proteomics. To pursue my interest in Developmental Biology and Cell Biology, I interned at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai under Dr. Maithreyi Narasimha in summer'2012. During this internship the objective was to find out how Cappuccino protein affects the morphology of ...
As a young girl, I remember my first Encyclopedia Britannica that I received as a present from my parents. It was in this very book I first saw a colorful illustration of the cell. At the time, the fact that a complex organism like us being made out of a microscopic unit seemed inconceivable. Upon delving into the subject, I was captivated by the field of Biology and have been ever since. Since childhood, my growing curiosity and a penchant for science, especially biology prompted me to choose the course B.Tech Biotechnology in B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent University for my undergraduate degree.
This report provides an insight into the differences in the structure of cells and the way that they carry out their internal mechanisms. Cells form the basis of all living things and they are the smallest single unit of life. Cell biology is the study of cells and how they function, from the subcellular processes which keep them functioning, to the
Before going any further in my essay I will define one of the key words, the term ¨knowledge¨. This term presents more than one definition. For instance, the Cambridge dictionary definition is ¨understanding of or information about a subject that you get by experience or study, either known by one person or by people generally¨ . But today, referred to the statement ¨over time, knowledge has become more accurate¨, we have the purpose of studying if in different areas the knowledge they build in fact becomes more accurate as time passes by and new research is made. . An additional essential key word is ¨accurate¨, in particular since we, humans, are prisoners of this word. I say this because all the decisions we make in our life need to be ¨accurate¨
I find it mind-blowing that despite the significant advances in all the fields of brain research, most of the processes responsible for the integrated functioning of billions of brain cells remains a mystery. This goes to show how intricate and detailed the processes of the human body are; and studying biomedical sciences at the university gives me the opportunity to investigate in greater depth the human anatomy. In studying biology and chemistry, I am able to understand the statement “cells obey the laws of chemistry” and have been equipped with critical and.... knowledge.