180 years of the cell: From Matthias Jakob Schleiden to the cell biology of the twenty-first century

Abstract

The fact that the form and function of organisms results from the collective action of cells, the structural and functional units of life, is undoubtedly one of the most important foundations of contemporary biology. Here, we provide a glimpse of the key discoveries and accompanying theoretical disputes that led from the discovery of the cellular structure of organisms, through elaboration of a tool set enabling study of cell phenomena at the molecular level in a mechanistic framework, to the latest theoretical and methodological trends in addressing cellular organization as the methodological and interpretational framework for addressing the phenomena of life. We also emphasize how views of cell structure and function prevailing during particular eras were influenced by methodological constraints at the time and how previously disregarded concepts returned to mainstream biology as a result of novel techniques that could provide more detailed insight into the structure and dynamics of cellular components.