In prokaryotic terms pro means ‘primitive’ and karyon means ‘nucleus’, which means prokaryotic cells have a very primitive and less defined nucleus. They do not possess any membrane-bound organelles like mitochondria, chloroplast, Golgi body, Endoplasmic reticulum, etc. Examples include archaea and bacteria. Other characteristics of prokaryotic cells are given below:
(1) Most of the prokaryotic cells are unicellular.
(2) The size of a prokaryotic cell varies from 0.5 – 5 μm and is generally small in size.
(3) The nuclear region of a prokaryotic cell is poorly defined and the genetic material is present in the region of the cytoplasm.
(4) In prokaryotic cells, the DNA is found naked which means DNA is not associated with histone proteins.
(5) They have single, circular chromosomes as genetic material. except for the genomic DNA, they also contain circular plasmid DNA.
(6) Mesosomes are the specialized membranous structures that are found in prokaryotic cells. It is formed by the invagination of the cell membrane and these extensions help in the synthesis of the cell wall and replication of DNA.
(7) Prokaryotic cells contain cell walls as an outer covering that gives shape to the cells.
What is a centromere? How does the position of the centromere form the basis of the classification of chromosomes? Support your answer with a diagram showing the position of the centromere on different types of chromosomes.
Describe the structure of the following with the help of labeled diagrams.
(i) Nucleus
(ii) Centrosome
Both lysosomes and vacuoles are endomembrane structures, yet they differ in terms of their functions. Comment.
Cells are the basic unit of life. Discuss in brief.