An introduction to cells and molecules and their use in biotechnology

1. The Cell and its Importance to
Biotechnology
Module 2, BI 140

2. Learning Outcomes
• Understand the structure and function of
different cell types
• Understand different types of large molecules
unique to living organisms
• Analyze how the nature of cells are used in
biotechnology
• Evaluate the potential use of cells in the future
of biotechnology

3. What is a CELL?
• Most basic unit of life
• Smallest structure and
functional unit of an
organism
• Type of cells
• Prokaryote
• Eukaryote

4. Cell Essential Functions
• Cell growth and reproduction
– Cells grow and reproduce as long as they are in
the appropriate environment conditions and have
available nutrients
• Cells change
– Cells can change overtime depending on the
environment and nutrients
• Cells regulate
– Cells can regulate itself and the environment
around it

5. Cell Organization
• Cells are organized according to the
environment they are in
• Cell membrane controls the transfer of
molecules into and out of cells

6. Comparison of Prokaryotic and
Eukaryotic Cells
Property Prokaryotes Eukaryotes
Main groups Bacteria and archaea Animals and plants
Size Smaller Larger
Internal organelles Very simple Very complex
Growth Very fast Slow
Protein synthesis Little to no extra folding Extra folding and modifications
Can cause diseases Yes Yes
DNA structure Circular and usually smaller Linear and usually larger
Reproduction Cell division Asexual and sexual
Use in biotech Manufacturing simple proteins Manufacturing complex proteins
DNA location Cytoplasm Nucleus

7. Biochemicals
• Elements (H, C, N, O, S, P, Na, K, Cl, Ca,…)
• Molecules (water, ammonia, carbon dioxide…)
• Macromolecules
– Lipids
– Carbohydrates
– Proteins
– Nucleic Acids (DNA, RNA)

8. Lipids and Carbohydrates
• Lipids (fats, oils, cholesterol)
– Energy storage
– Hormones
– Structure and function of cell membrane
• Carbohydrates
– Energy metabolism
– Structure material for plants
– Cell regulation

9. Proteins
• Proteins are responsible for doing things
(functioning) in an organism
• A protein is a sequence of nucleic acids
– There are 20 types of amino acids each with
distinct properties
• A protein’s function depends on:
– The amino acid sequence
– The 3D structure
– The location in the cell, body, environment
– Other molecules around it

10. Nucleic Acids
• Deoxiribonucleic acid (DNA)
– General code used to make proteins
– Base pairing: A, T, C, G
• Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
– The actual code used to make proteins
• Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
– The cells energy source

11. Complexity of the Cells
• Everything interacts:
– Proteins with other proteins
– Nucleic acids with other nucleic acids
– Proteins with nucleic acids and vice versa
– Biochemicals with all of the above
• Determining and tracking of these interactions
is ongoing research

12. Use of Cells in Biotechnology
• Cells hold the instructions to
making proteins
– Those instructions can be
changed
• Cells are where proteins are
made
– Proteins can also be changed

13. Use of Cells in Biotechnology
• We will get in more detail as the course goes
on, but nucleic acids and proteins are the key
to almost every biotechnology.
• Vaccines are parts of proteins called antigens
which stimulate the immune system to
protect against a disease
• Therapeutic proteins are (sometimes) fully
functional proteins intended to treat a disease