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Cell physiology is the biological study of the activities that take place in a cell to keep it alive. The term physiology refers to normal functions in a living organism. [1] Animal cells, plant cells and microorganism cells show similarities in their functions even though they vary in structure. [2] [page needed]
The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all forms of life. Every cell consists of cytoplasm enclosed within a membrane; many cells contain organelles, each with a specific function. The term comes from the Latin word cellula meaning 'small room'. Most cells are only visible under a microscope.
Light micrograph of a moss's leaf cells at 400X magnification. The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to cell biology: . Cell biology – A branch of biology that includes study of cells regarding their physiological properties, structure, and function; the organelles they contain; interactions with their environment; and their life cycle, division, and death.
Some proteins, such as insulin, are extracellular proteins that transmit a signal from the cell in which they were synthesized to other cells in distant tissues. Others are membrane proteins that act as receptors whose main function is to bind a signaling molecule and induce a biochemical response in the cell.
At the top level are all alpha proteins (domains consisting of alpha helices), all beta proteins (domains consisting of beta sheets), and mixed alpha helix/beta sheet proteins. While most proteins adopt a single stable fold, a few proteins can rapidly interconvert between one or more folds. These are referred to as metamorphic proteins. [5]
A ribosome is a biological machine that utilizes protein dynamics on nanoscales to translate RNA into proteins. Cellular components are the complex biomolecules and structures of which cells, and thus living organisms, are composed. Cells are the structural and functional units of life. [1]
Membrane proteins perform a variety of functions vital to the survival of organisms: [2] Membrane receptor proteins relay signals between the cell's internal and external environments. Transport proteins move molecules and ions across the membrane. They can be categorized according to the Transporter Classification database.
In physiology, a function is an activity or process carried out by a system in an organism, such as sensation or locomotion in an animal. [1] This concept of function as opposed to form (respectively Aristotle's ergon and morphê [2]) was central in biological explanations in classical antiquity.