Life of a Cell Biology essay

Life of a Cell Biology essay

Introduction

In biology the cell is the basic functional, structural, and biological unit of every known living organism. A cell is one of the smallest units of life with capabilities of replicating independently, and cells are commonly referred to as the “buildings blocks of life”. A day in the life of a cell consists of a number of aspects worth noting. Water, oxygen, and Amino acids must enter a cell. On the other hand, hormones must leave a cell. This is short story on a day in the life of a cell.

Water entering the cell

Water is an essential necessity in cells as it is directly involved in countless biochemical reactions such as photosynthesis and respiration. Water molecules pass directly through the cell membrane into the cell itself in a process referred to as osmosis. Here, water molecules move through a semi-permeable membrane into a region of higher concentration towards a direction that tends to equalize the solute concentrations on the two sides. It is important to note that in a cell where so many organelles and other large molecules exist, the water flow is always into the cell. Of importance to note is that the type of transport here is passive transport, an aspect that requires no energy from the cell (Rey, Marinov, Vogler and Sigrist, 2005). Life of a Cell Biology essay

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Oxygen entering the cell

Apart from water, cells need oxygen in order to function properly. Proppe and Harrel (2007) argue that oxygen enters a cell by a process known as diffusion. When a person breathes in air, the oxygen does not just stay in the lungs. It has a lot of travelling to do. First, after entering the lungs, the oxygen enters the blood stream from the alveoli where gas exchanges take place through diffusion. After that, the oxygen-rich blood returns to the heart where it gets pumped through the aorta. From the aorta, oxygen rich blood then travels to the smaller arteries and, finally into the capillaries. Here, oxygen molecules move, by a process known as diffusion into the cells (Proppe and Harrel, 2007).

Amino acids entering the cell

According to Herce and Garcia (2007), proteins play a critical role in nearly all biological processes and amino acids are the major building blocks of it. Amino acids carry out important bodily functions such as giving cells their structure. However, how they enter the cell is worth knowing. The movement of amino acids into the cytoplasm takes place via biochemically and functionally amino acid transport systems defined by the basis of physic-chemical properties and amino acid selectivities. Herce and Garcia (2007) further argue that each system relates to discrete membrane-bound transporter protein residing within the cell membrane functioning to translocate amino acids from the extracellular to the cytoplasm. Majority of these transporters need sodium for maximal movement. The transporter acts as an enzyme that works on catalyzing the movement of its bound amino acid (and sodium) into the cell. Life of a Cell Biology essay

Hormones leaving the cell

Hormones play a number of roles in a cell, but one of its important functions is the liberation of glucose inside the cells resulting in the production of energy. Even though hormones are absorbed and enter the cell wall by diffusion, how they leave the cell is an important element worth noting. According to Pang and Südhof (2010), hormones leave the cell by a process known as exocytosis via a membrane transport mechanism. Not all cells react to hormones that are circulating in the blood stream. However, in the event that such happens, receptors in the cell membrane automatically exit the cell via a process known as exocytosis.

Conclusion

In short, the life of a cell involves very many things. Water, oxygen, and amino acids have to get in for normal functioning while hormones that do not react well with the cell have to be exited. Diffusion, osmosis and passive transport are all involved here. Life of a Cell Biology essay.

References

Rey, J., Marinov, D., Vogler, D., & Sigrist, M. (2005). Investigation and optimisation of a multipass resonant photoacoustic cell at high absorption levels. Applied Physics B: Lasers & Optics, 80(2), 261-266.

Proppe, D., & Harrel, S. (2007). The Effects of Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration on Dissolved Oxygen Concentration. Science Activities, 44(1), 10-15.

Herce, H. D., & Garcia, A. E. (2007). Cell Penetrating Peptides: How Do They Do It?. Journal Of Biological Physics, 33(5-6), 345-356.

Pang, Z. P., & Südhof, T. C. (2010). Cell biology of Ca 2+-triggered exocytosis. Current opinion in cell biology, 22(4), 496-505. Life of a Cell Biology essay