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Biology 9
Cell and DNA Extraction Lab
Objectives
• To identify some of the structures of the cell from microscopic examination.
• To understand the parts of the student microscope, its use, and care.
• To learn how to prepare slides of living cells for observation under the microscope.
• To accurately follow a protocol and become familiar with lab procedures for extracting DNA
Part 1: Microscopic examination of the cells using the micrographs listed below
Set 58 Cell Structure
1. Cork: The first thing ever viewed under a microscope by Monk Robert Hook in the 17th century.
2. Onion skin: Note the cell wall at A, the cytoplasm at B, the nucleus at C, and plasma membrane at D
3. Skip.
4. Cheek cells: Note the cytoplasm, nucleus, and plasma membrane.
5. Blood cells: Note the absence of nuclei in the red blood cells (most predominant cell type) and the
two types of white blood cells.
6. Nerve cell: Note the cell body, dendrites, and axons.
Name a structure observed in onion epidermal cells that is NOT present in human epithelial cells (e.g.,
cheek cells)?
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Set 66 The Ultra-Structure of Animal Cells
1. Oil gland cells (400X): Even under “high” power our lab microscopes are unable to give us much
detail on cytoplasmic organelles.
2. Plasma cell (37,000X): Crank up the magnification with an electron microscope and organelles
become visible. Note ribosomes on the rough endplasmic reticulum at O, the Golgi body at G,
mitochondrion at I, and nuclear pore at P. These structures are also in the oil gland cell. You just could
not see them at 400X.
3. Cell membrane (400,000X): Check out that bi-layer!
4. Skip.
5. Mitochondrion (124,000X): A close-up of half a mitochondrion. The cristae (inner folds) are
readily visible. Note its double membrane.
6. Centriole (175,000X): Note the network of microtubules.
Sketch the membrane of a cell in the space below.
• Label the charged (polar) and uncharged (nonpolar) regions of the phospholipids within the lipid
bilayer.
• Name a substance that can be found embedded in the cell membrane.
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