Created by: CK-12/Adapted by Christine Miller

Figure 4.5.1 is an artist’s representation of what you might see if you could take a peek inside one of these basic building blocks of living things.  A cell’s interior is obviously a crowded and busy space. It contains cytoplasm, dissolved substances, and many structures. It’s a hive of countless biochemical activities all going on at once. 

Cytoplasm is a thick, usually colourless solution that fills each cell and is enclosed by the cell membrane. Cytoplasm presses against the cell membrane, filling out the cell and giving it its shape. Sometimes, cytoplasm acts like a watery solution, and sometimes, it takes on a more gel-like consistency. In eukaryotic cells, the cytoplasm includes all of the material inside the cell but outside of the nucleus, which contains its own watery substance called the nucleoplasm. All of the organelles in eukaryotic cells (such as the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria) are located in the cytoplasm. The cytoplasm helps to keep them in place. It is also the site of most metabolic activities in the cell, and it allows materials to pass easily throughout the cell.

The portion of the cytoplasm surrounding organelles is called cytosol. Cytosol is the liquid part of cytoplasm. It is composed of about 80 per cent water, and it contains dissolved salts, fatty acids, sugars, amino acids, and proteins (such as enzymes). These dissolved substances are needed to keep the cell alive and carry out metabolic processes. Enzymes dissolved in cytosol, for example, break down larger molecules into smaller products that can then be used by organelles of the cell. Waste products are also dissolved in the cytosol before they are taken in by vacuoles or expelled from the cell.

Cytoskeleton

Although cytoplasm may appear to have no form or structure, it is actually highly organized. A framework of protein scaffolds called the cytoskeleton provides the cytoplasm and the cell with structure. The cytoskeleton consists of thread-like microfilaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules that criss-cross the cytoplasm. You can see these filaments and tubules in the cells in Figure 4.5.2. As its name suggests, the cytoskeleton is like a cellular “skeleton.” It helps the cell maintain its shape and also helps to hold cell structures (like organelles) in place within the cytoplasm.

News about an important study of the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells came out in early 2016. Researchers in Dresden, Germany discovered that when cells are deprived of adequate nutrients, they may essentially shut down and become dormant. Specifically, when cells do not get enough nutrients, they shut down their metabolism, their energy level drops, and the pH of their cytoplasm decreases. Their normally liquid cytoplasm also assumes a solid state. The cells appear dead, as though a kind of rigor mortis has set in. The researchers think that these changes protect the sensitive structures inside the cells and allow the cells to survive difficult conditions. If nutrients are returned to the cells, they can emerge from their dormant state unharmed. They will continue to grow and multiply when conditions improve.

This important basic science research was executed on a nonhuman organism: one-celled fungi called yeasts. Nonetheless, it may have important implications for humans, because yeasts have eukaryotic cells with many of the same structures as human cells. Yeast cells appear to be able to “trick” death by shutting down all life processes in a controlled way. Through continued study, researchers hope to learn whether human cells can be taught this “trick” as well.

Attributions

Figure 4.5.1

Cell-organelles-labeled by Koswac on Wikimedia Commons is used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) license.

Figure 4.5.2

National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science. (2015, August 3). Cytoskeleton structure and function. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTv9ItGd050&feature=youtu.be