Muscle fibre cells are a great example of how animal cells can be highly specialised for their function. In this article we will look at the structure of muscle fibre cells and how it relates to their function. Muscle fibres cells - structure and function The below diagram shows a cross-section of a muscle fibre... Continue Reading →
Mitosis is a method of cell division used by multicellular organisms for growth and repair of tissues. Some plants and fungi (and rarely some animals) also use it for asexual reproduction - producing genetically identical offspring from one parent. Mitosis results in two daughter cells which are genetically identical to the parent cell. In this... Continue Reading →
All the cells in multicellular organisms which are capable of division go through a cell cycle - a sequence of phases which incorporates cell growth, DNA replication, and cell division by mitosis. However, remember that not all cells are capable of division e.g. red blood cells. The Cell Cycle The cell cycle begins just after... Continue Reading →
Transcription is the first stage of protein synthesis. It transcribes a DNA sequence into a messenger RNA (mRNA) sequence. In eukaryotic cells, DNA is found in the nucleus so that is where transcription occurs. In prokaryotic cells it happens in the cytoplasm because the DNA is not contained in a nucleus. In this article will... Continue Reading →
Welcome to this series looking at how the genetic code instructs cells to make proteins. We will be talking about DNA, RNA, and proteins a lot so head over to those articles if you are unsure about the basic structure or function of those molecules. Today, we're going to be taking a look inside the... Continue Reading →
Most people have heard of DNA, but ribonucleic acid (RNA) is its lesser known cousin. They have many similar features, but quite different functions. There are different types of RNA, the three main types being messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). If you have been following the cell organelle series, you... Continue Reading →
Cell organelles, or subcellular structures, are specialised to carry out certain functions. The main function of the nucleus is to contain the genetic material (DNA) of the cell. And where better to begin A-Level biology revision than at the information centre of the cell. The Nucleus The nucleus (plural nuclei) is often drawn as a... Continue Reading →
