• Question: The majority of a cell's interior is comprised of what?

    Asked by Andrea to Eoin, Ester, Ildiko, Natasha, Paul, Tom on 6 Nov 2017.
    • Photo: Ester Gil Vazquez

      Ester Gil Vazquez answered on 6 Nov 2017:

      Believe it or not, most of it is just water! Inside the cell there are the nucleus and the cytoplasm. The cytoplasm is composed by the cytosol and the organelles. Organelles are little structures that carry out specific functions (for example, the mitochondria produces the energy that the cell needs to develop all its functions). The cytoplasm is a transparent substance (basically water -80%-) that contains proteins and filaments that maintain the cell shape. You shouldn’t be surprised because 70% of our bodies is just water as well :).

    • Photo: Eoin McKinney

      Eoin McKinney answered on 6 Nov 2017:

      I agree the answer is ‘water’, but the inside of cells can be very different. Some are protein factories, producing huge amounts of hormones (like in the pancreas) or antibodies to fight infection. Other cells don’t need to produce much and have much less cytoplasm. In general, the inside of a cell has evolved to do its job very well. Each cell has a different job, so each one looks different. You have neurons that stretch from your brain to your big toe – thats a loooong cell and looks totally different to a little round immune cell producing proteins for a living.

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