1. General presentation

The cell is the structural and functional unit of living beings (animals, plants, fungi, bacteria). Each cell is endowed with a degree of autonomy and, to this end, the power to synthesize and reproduce. It has an architectural unity characterized by an ordered set of macromolecules divided into two compartments, the nucleus and the cytoplasm; the whole is separated from the external environment by the plasma membrane, which may be covered by a wall (in the case of plants and bacteria).

From a functional point of view, the main intracytoplasmic organelles are responsible for cell metabolism. Mitochondria are the site of energy and oxidative metabolism, whose main substrates come from the catabolism of oses and fatty acids. Ribosomes synthesize and renew proteins from their constituent amino acids. A network of internal membranes, consisting mainly of the endoplasmic...