Thursday, February 11, 2010

What are the similarities and differences of the cells of plants,fungi and animals?

When you take molecualr biology, you learn about the processes in eukaryotes, and prokaryotes. And even between those two domains, most things are pretty much the same. Fungi, plants and animals are all eukaryotes, so on a molecular biology level, they are pretty much the same. Plants photosynthesize, which the others don't, but that's about it when it comes to molecular biology.What are the similarities and differences of the cells of plants,fungi and animals?
Plant Cell:


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* A large central vacuole (enclosed by a membrane, the tonoplast), which maintains the cell's turgor and controls movement of molecules between the cytosol and sap.


* A cell wall made up of cellulose and protein, and in many cases lignin, and deposited by the protoplast on the outside of the cell membrane. This contrasts with the cell walls of fungi, which are made of chitin, and prokaryotes, which are made of peptidoglycan.


* The plasmodesmata, linking pores in the cell wall that allow each plant cell to communicate with other adjacent cells. This is different from the network of hyphae used by fungi.


* Plastids, especially chloroplasts that contain chlorophyll, the pigment that gives plants their green color and allows them to perform photosynthesis.


* Plants lack centrioles that are present in animal cells.


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Animal Cell:


The animal cell is distinct from other eukaryotes, most notably plant cells, as they lack cell walls and chloroplasts, and they have smaller vacuoles.





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True Fungi Cells:


The Cell Wall is made of Chitin.

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