The Properties of Life, Basic Chemical Terminology, and Molecules and Compounds of a Cell Necessary for Life

Introduction

Living organisms are characterized by sensitivity, order, reproduction, regulation, development and growth, energy processing, and homeostasis (Rosslenbroich, 2016). Order means that living things are highly coordinated and organized structures with one or two cells. Sensitivity, on the other hand, enables bodies to react to different stimuli. For instance, bend towards the light, and respond to touch. Reproduction is the process through which organism gives rise to offspring of the same size, shape, and characteristics. Bodies develop and grow following the specific information that are coded in the genes they inherit from their parents.

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Similarly, regulations enable organisms to develop mechanisms of coordinating internal functions, cope with environmental stress, and respond to stimuli. Examples of internal regulations that are in living things are blood flow and transportation of nutrients. Homeostasis allows living things to regulate their body temperatures, to have appropriate concertation of different chemicals, and adequate PH level (Rosslenbroich, 2016). Another important property of life is energy regulation. Organisms require energy to perform their metabolic activities. Some capture the energy through photosynthesis, while others take in energy through cellular respiration.

All living things on earth are made up of four main types of molecules which are proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids. Each of the four molecules are crucial for all organisms as without one of them the living things cannot survive. They are important for the functionality and structure of the cells. Proteins are referred to as the building blocks of life. The functions of the molecules in the cells are muscle movement, digestion, immune defense, and storage of energy among other roles. Twenty different amino acids make up a protein. The amino acids contain nitrogen which is an essential part of the diet for all organisms for the production of new proteins.

Carbohydrates are an indispensable source of energy for cells. Additionally, they provide the structural support of the cells and also help in communication between the unit. They are the most important sources energy for most living things, and plants use the sun to convert the carbon dioxide into carbohydrates which are used by the vegetation as a source of energy for growth and reproduction. On the other hand, the lipids include oils, fats, steroids, and waxes. Cells require lipids due to several reasons which include insulation, storing energy, and protection and cellular communication (Rosslenbroich, 2016). The nucleic acids are the molecules of life, and they are of two types the ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The DNA makes up the genetic material of the cell while the RNA is used for translating the information stored in the DNA.

Basic Anatomy and Physiology of a Cell and how Cell Respiration, Photosynthesis, and Cell Reproduction Occur in a Succinct Manner

Primarily, the basic structure of life is traced to the cell which is an essential component of all living things. Moreover, cells reproduce, meaning that the current cells arise from preceding cells. They make up distinct parts of plants, fungi, the human body, and among other parts of the living things. Moreover, there are unique kinds of cells, and they include prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. The eukaryotic cells can further be divided into animal and plant cells. Moreover, they differ from the prokaryotic cells due to their membranous organelles that are contained in the cytoplasm, chromosomal nucleus, and a nuclear membrane. Furthermore, the nucleus found in the eukaryotic cells are responsible for holding the majority of the genetic materials and also controlling the activities taking place in the cell and analogous to a blueprint.

Additionally, the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) transcription and replication occurs in the nucleus. On the other hand, the translation of the RNA takes place in the ribosome which is responsible for carrying protein photosynthesis for the cell. Importantly, the ribosomes are critical for protein assemblage which include enzymes decisive for cellular functions. Another important part is the endoplasmic reticulum which is in two forms the smooth and the rough endoplasmic reticulum (Ren, Weraduwage, & Sharkey, 2018). The role of the rough endoplasmic reticulum is for protein synthesis as it contains ribosomes. On the other hand, the responsibilities of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum are processing metabolic reactions such as the drug detoxification and lipid synthesis. This is because the smooth endoplasmic reticulum lacks the ribosomes.

Moreover, the cell membrane and the cell wall are a crucial part of the plant cell. Both the cell membrane and cell wall are responsible for maintaining internal balance and regulating exit and the entrance of particles and substances. Similarly, the Golgi apparatus is also essential as it is responsible for shipping vesicles that are delivered from the smooth endoplasmic reticulum.

Chloroplast that is found in the plant cells uses energy through photosynthesis. Photosynthesis it is the process through which the plant uses carbon dioxide, sunlight, and water to create energy for the plant in the form of glucose for the flora. The photosynthesis results in the production of oxygen as a by-product (Rosslenbroich, 2016). Additionally, both the pants and animal cells have mitochondria which are essential for respiration process. The cellular respiration is vital as it results in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which is a source of energy for the cell. The process has two primary methods which include glycolysis, which is the oxidation of pyruvic acid to form water and carbon dioxide, and the breakdown of pyruvic acid.

Cellular reproduction is also essential for the cell. Primarily, cells reproduce through two primary processes which are meiosis and mitosis. Meiosis is for gamete cells while the mitosis occurs for all other cells. Fundamentally, the cellular reproduction enables cells to duplicate and transfer their characteristics to the offspring cells (Ren, Weraduwage, & Sharkey, 2018). Meiosis results in the production of four different daughter cells while mitosis leads in the production of two identical daughter cells while meiosis is the main reasons why human beings can reproduce.

Mendel's Laws and an Overview of DNA Structure and Function. Cancer and the Mechanisms of Gene Control

The Mendel's laws include the principle of segregation, the law of independent assortment, and the law of dominance. The Mendelian inheritance is mainly concerned with how offspring inherit genes from their parent's generation. The daughter cells primarily inherit the genes from the mother cells through chromosomes which are responsible for carrying the genetic content or material (Aivelo, & Uitto, 2015). The different physical traits and phenotypes occur because there are various combinations of genes or genotypes which are evident in the offspring generation. Primarily, the DNA has to be compressed into chromosomes and chromatin so that it can be transferred from the parent to the offspring.

Moreover, mutation arises in the DNA that results in serious problems such as cancer. The cells then continue to reproduce uncontrollably which results in tumors. Cancer then metastasizes or spreads after living its parent cell (Black, Cole, Christodoulou, & Figueiredo, 2018). This is dangerous to the human body as it starts to affect the body organs such as the brain (Rosslenbroich, 2016). A solution to cancer is gene control therapy which mainly targets the cancer cells. It is more effective than chemically treating the body through chemotherapy, which results in damaging other healthy body parts.

References

Aivelo, T., & Uitto, A. (2015). Genetic determinism in the Finnish upper secondary school biology textbooks. Nordic Studies in Science Education, 11(2), 139-152.

Black, D. S., Cole, S., Christodoulou, G., & Figueiredo, J. C. (2018). Genomic mechanisms of fatigue in colorectal cancer survivors.

Ren, T., Weraduwage, S. M., & Sharkey, T. D. (2018). Prospects for enhancing leaf photosynthetic capacity by manipulating mesophyll cell morphology. bioRxiv, 379065.

Rosslenbroich, B. (2016). Properties of Life: Toward a Coherent Understanding of the Organism. Acta biotheoretica, 64(3), 277-307.