Cell biology - Research Paper Example

Insert Cell biology, alternatively referred to as cytology, is an area of biology that deals with (studies) cells (Lodish, 348). Robert Hooke is regarded by many as the father of cell biology as he is credited for discovering the cell. In this branch, the structure of cells, life cycles, properties, interactions with the environment, function, division, death and organelles (their locations within cells, functions, structures, compositions and adaptations) found within cells are delved into. The study of cells is done in a molecular level or is conducted suing microscopes.

The study of cells using microscopes can either be through transmission electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, confocal microscopy and optical microscopy (Lodish, 411). There are a number of techniques that are commonly used in cell biology. Immunohistochemisty/ immunostaining is a useful histological technique that locates (tags) proteins in tissues and cells through fluorescence microscopy (towards various desired goals). Another common technique, cell culture, is used to grow cells under special conditions in the lab, outside a living organism while gene knock down is a method used to elicit mutation in a selected gene.

Computational genomics identifies certain patterns in genomic data as DNA microarrays are essential in noting variations in transcript levels of various experimental circumstances. The method of PCR indicates the number of gene copies found in the cell and the process of transfection introduces into a cell an entirely new gene. To discover which cells are expressing a certain transcript of RNA, cell biologists use in situ hybridization. During cell biology, purification of cells can be accomplished using techniques such as flow cytometry, cell fractionation, immunoprecipitation, and so on (Pollard and William, 418).

Some of the processes of the cell commonly studied by cell biologists include active and passive transport, adhesion, cell movement, DNA repair (cell death and senescence), gene expression, metabolism, cell signaling, division and autophagy. Knowledge of cell biology is useful in fields such as cancer research and other disciplines like genetics, microbiology, immunology, molecular biology, developmental biology, biochemistry, anatomy, biostatistics, ecology, epidemiology, histology, mycology, reproductive biology, toxicology, virology, bacteriology, and so on (Pollard and William, 377).

Works CitedLodish, Harvey F. Molecular Cell Biology. 4th ed. New York: W.H. Freeman, 2000. Print; 348, 411Pollard, Thomas D., and William C. Earnshaw. Cell Biology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Saunders/Elsevier, 2008. Print; 377, 418