The distinction between prokaryotes and eukaryotes is considered to be the most important distinction among groups of organisms. Eukaryotic cells contain membrane-bound organelles, such as the nucleus, while prokaryotic cells do not. Differences in cellular structure of prokaryotes and eukaryotes include the presence of mitochondria and chloroplasts, the cell wall, and the structure of chromosomal DNA.
Prokaryotes were the only form of life on Earth for millions of years until more complicated eukaryotic cells came into being through the process of evolution.
Prokaryotes also differ from eukaryotes in the structure, packing, density, and arrangement of their genes on the chromosome. Prokaryotes have incredibly compact genomes compared to eukaryotes, mostly because prokaryote genes lack introns and large non-coding regions between each gene.
Whereas nearly 95% of the human genome does not code for proteins or RNA or includes a gene promoter, nearly all of the prokaryote genome codes or controls something. n a prokaryote cell, all genes in an operon(three in the case of the famous lac operon) are transcribed on the same piece of RNA and then made into separate proteins, whereas if these genes were native to eukaryotes, they each would have their own promoter and be transcribed on their own strand of mRNA. This lesser degree of control over gene expression contributes to the simplicity of the prokaryotes as compared to the eukaryotes.
The Essay on Differences Between Prokaryote And Eukaryote Cells
The cell is the basic functioning unit of organisms in which chemical reactions take place. These reactions involve an energy release needed to support life and build structures. The cell consists of membrane bound organelles, which are responsible for the division of labour. There are two main classes of cells- Prokaryotes which are cells without a nucleus, where the DNA is spread around the ...
All cellular organism fall into two natural groups, known as prokaryotes and eukaryotes. These two groups are fundamentally different. The terms prokaryote and eukaryote refer to the differences in the location of the DNA. In prokaryotes the DNA is not enclosed by nuclear membranes and lies free in the cytoplasm. The cells therefore lack true nuclei . The cells of eukaryotes, however, do contain true nuclei.
Eukaryotes arose around 1.2 thousand million years ago, and they evolved from prokaryotes which began around 3.5 thousand million years ago.
Although the location of the DNA in the cells is the major difference between the cell types, there are many more differences, which are explored below.
The sizes of the cells are vastly different, in prokaryotes the average diameter of the cell is 0.5-10µm. However, eukaryote cells are much larger in comparison, they are typically 1000-10000 times the volume of prokaryote cells, and their common diameter is 10-100µm.
Prokaryotes mainly arise in unicellular forms and examples of organisms that are prokaryotic is bacteria.
