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    Cell Wall, Cell Membrane

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    lee.allt02

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    Cell Wall, Cell Membrane

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    11 views5 pages

    Cell Wall, Cell Membrane

    Uploaded by

    lee.allt02

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
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    Cell wall

    • Cell wall is a rigid, freely permeable and protective covering of plant cells (made up of
    cellulose), fungal cells (made up of chitin) and prokaryotic cells (made up of
    peptidoglycan); it is absent in animal cells.
    • In plant cells, cell wall is composed of middle lamella, primary wall and secondary wall.
    • Middle lamella is made up of calcium and magnesium pectate and acts as a cementing
    layer between two adjoining cells.
    • Primary wall lies inner to middle lamella and is composed of parallel fibres of cellulose
    (polysaccharide) running through a matrix of other polysaccharides such as
    hemicellulose and pectin.
    • Middle lamella and primary wall are present in all the plant cells whereas secondary
    wall is present only in some specialized cells like collenchyma, xylem vessels,
    sclerenchyma etc.
    • Secondary wall lies inner to primary wall and is composed of cellulose (in
    collenchyma), lignin (in xylem vessels and sclerenchyma), suberin (in endodermis of
    roots) etc.
    Cell wall
    • Fine strands of cytoplasm called plasmodesmata are present within cell
    walls that connect the cytoplasm of adjacent cells.
    • Thus plasmodesmata are the cytoplasmic connections between cells,
    running transversally through the walls.
    • They allow the passage of substances between the adjoining cells.
    Functions of cell wall
    • Cell wall provides mechanical strength and support for individual cells and the plant
    as a whole.
    • Cell wall prevents cells from bursting under the pressure created by the osmotic
    entry of water. Cellulose has a very high tensile strength (i.e. it is resistant to
    stretching) and makes it possible for a cell to withstand large pressures develop
    within it due to osmosis. It prevents undue expansion of the cell when water enters
    by osmosis to compensate for the lack of contractile vacuole. This prevents bursting
    of cells.
    • Cell wall allows water to pass along it and contributes to the movement of water
    through the plant by apoplast and symplast pathways.
    • Epidermal cells often have a waterproof layer of waxy cutin on their outer walls that
    helps to reduce water loss by evaporation.

    (Note: We will study cellulose in detail in the chapter “Biological molecules” and
    osmosis in detail in the chapter “Cell membrane and transport”.)
    Cell surface membrane
    • Cell membrane or bio-membrane is thin, elastic and partially permeable
    membrane (allows selected substances to pass through it to limited extent).
    Cell membrane is of two types.
    ⮚Cell surface membrane (plasma membrane): It forms the outermost
    boundary of cytoplasm in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. It also
    controls the exchange of materials such as nutrients and waste products
    between the cell and its environment
    ⮚Internal membranes: They form the outer boundary of cell organelles.
    Nuclear membrane, mitochondrial membrane, chloroplast membrane, ER
    membrane etc. are some internal membranes.
    • Cell membrane is basically composed of phospholipids and proteins.
    Functions of cell surface membrane
    • It separates the cell from its external environment and also controls
    movement of substances in and out of cells.
    • It is important in cell recognition.
    • It has receptor sites which bind specific hormones and
    neurotransmitters.
    • In animal cells, it may be folded to form microvilli to provide a larger
    surface area for the absorption of substances.
    • It has components that attach to one another and so help cells to form
    tissues.

    (Note: We will study cell surface membrane in detail in the chapter


    “Cell membrane and transport”)

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