ABSTRACT
Isolating cells and their parts: overview Most animal and plant tissues contain a mixture of cell types, and most cells contain multiple subcellular organelles (Section A2). Although microscopy techniques (Section A4) can be used to visualize organelles and large molecules inside cells, many studies on cell structure and function require samples of a particular type of cell, subcellular organelle or components within them. Most biochemical procedures require obtaining large numbers of cells and then physically disrupting them to isolate their components. Tissue samples will often provide large quantities of material but will contain a heterogeneous mix of cells. Techniques have been developed whereby homogeneous populations of
cells can be isolated, grown in culture to amplify them, and subsequently studied or fractionated into their component parts.
