A reflection on the eukaryotic cell, its organization and the concept of a typical cell

The understanding of cell shape and structure is, perhaps, one of the most important milestones in Biology. From the discovery of the cell by Hooke in 1665 to the formulation of the cell theory by Schleiden and Schwann, there were almost 200 years of research. All these advances occurred in parallel with the progress in microscopy. Cell types were being described, organelles characterized, and cellular activity in tissues became better understood. Currently, approximately 250 different cell types are currently recognized; hence, the discussion arises: How to talk about a cell in a more introductory manner? This article discusses the concept of a "typical cell". We believe that this concept provides students with a distorted view that is difficult to change. The morphology of cells is adapted to their function, as is their cytoplasmic content (e.g., organelles, cytoskeletal components). This fact often gets lost with the concept of a "typical cell". In this article, We discuss an alternative approach of addressing the issue, although it is not my intention to exhaust the topic. There are many ways to break the paradigm of the typical cell and here I only intend to describe one.