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Related Concept Videos

Cell Size01:22

Cell Size

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Cell sizes vary widely among and within organisms. Bacterial cells range between 1-10 micrometers (μm)and are considerably smaller than most eukaryotic cells. The smallest bacteria are 0.1 μm in diameter—about a thousand times smaller than eukaryotic cells, which typically range from 10-100 μm.
Surface Area
Cells can take in nutrients and water via diffusion through the plasma membrane itself or through specific channels in the membrane. The area of the membrane surrounding...
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Subcellular Fractionation01:32

Subcellular Fractionation

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The homogenate obtained after cell lysis contains various membrane-bound organelles that can be further separated into pure fractions by subcellular fractionation. These isolates are used to study specific cellular components, analyze localized protein activity, and are even employed in diagnostics. Fractionation is typically achieved using centrifugation methods, the most common being density-gradient and differential centrifugation.
Differential Centrifugation
Differential centrifugation is...
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Cell Diversity01:13

Cell Diversity

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The concept of a cell started with microscopic observations of dead cork tissue by Robert Hooke in 1665. Hooke coined the term "cell" based on the resemblance of the small subdivisions in the cork to the rooms that monks inhabited, called cells. About ten years later, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek became the first person to observe the living and moving cells under a microscope. In the century that followed, the theory that cells represented the basic unit of life developed.
Multicellular...
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Prokaryotic vs. Eukaryotic Cells01:28

Prokaryotic vs. Eukaryotic Cells

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Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells represent two fundamental types of cellular organization, differing significantly in structure, complexity, and function. These distinctions underpin the biological diversity seen across domains of life.Prokaryotic Cell CharacteristicsProkaryotic cells, exemplified by bacteria and archaea, are structurally simple and lack membrane-bound organelles, including a nucleus. Their genetic material consists of a single, circular DNA molecule in the nucleoid region,...
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Cells Coordinate Growth and Proliferation02:36

Cells Coordinate Growth and Proliferation

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Cell size is a significant factor impacting cellular design, function, and fitness. There exists some internal coordination by which cells double their masses before division, thus, achieving homeostasis. Coordination between cell growth and proliferation depends on the checkpoints in between cell cycle phases. Loss of coordination or failure in the checkpoint mechanism can drive the cell to uncontrolled growth and loss of cellular function. Like dividing cells that coordinate cellular growth,...
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Animal and Plant Cell Structure01:30

Animal and Plant Cell Structure

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Animal and plant cells not only differ in their structure, function, and mode of nutrition but also in how they reproduce, specialize, and organize into complex structures.
Cell Division
Though both plant and animal cells divide by mitosis (for non-gametic cells) and meiosis (for gametic cells), they differ in the specifics of this process. Unlike animal cells, plant cells lack centrosomes — an organelle responsible for organizing the spindle fibers and segregating the chromosomes during...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 12, 2026

Probing Structural and Dynamic Properties of Trafficking Subcellular Nanostructures by Spatiotemporal Fluctuation Spectroscopy
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Probing Structural and Dynamic Properties of Trafficking Subcellular Nanostructures by Spatiotemporal Fluctuation Spectroscopy

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Subcellular size.

Wallace F Marshall1

  • 1Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158.

Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology
|May 10, 2015
PubMed
Summary

Cellular size control is complex, involving not just whole cell dimensions but also the precise sizing of subcellular components. Understanding organelle size determination is crucial for cell biology and biochemical function.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Systems Biology

Background:

  • Organismal size regulation principles extend to single-cell biology.
  • Fundamental questions persist regarding the determinants of cell and organelle size.
  • The relationship between organelle size and cellular biochemical function remains an active area of inquiry.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the conceptual questions surrounding cellular and subcellular size determination.
  • To assess the current understanding of how individual organelle size is controlled.
  • To evaluate whether existing knowledge of organelle biogenesis and dynamics is sufficient for modeling size control.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of existing biological principles.
  • Review of recent advancements in organelle biogenesis and dynamics research.

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  • Theoretical modeling approaches to organelle size control.

    • Main Results:

    • The principles governing organismal size also apply to cellular components.
    • Key questions remain unanswered regarding the precise mechanisms of organelle size determination and proportioning.
    • Current knowledge of organelle biogenesis and dynamics may not be fully adequate for comprehensive size control modeling.

    Conclusions:

    • Understanding cellular size requires investigating the size control of individual organelles.
    • Further research is needed to bridge the gap between organelle biogenesis knowledge and robust size control models.
    • The precise mechanisms governing organelle size remain incompletely understood.