Major Difference between Prokaryotic cells and Eukaryotic cells




There are two fundamentally different types of cells; the prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells. In prokaryotic cells, the nuclear material (DNA) lies freely in the cytoplasm in the region known as Nucleoid. They do not have true nucleus. In eukaryotic cells, the nuclear material (DNA) is found inside a nucleus, which is surrounded by double membraneous layer called nuclear membrane. In eukaryotes, the DNA is associated with proteins to form chromosomes.

Other major differences between Prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells are as follows,

Features Prokaryotic cells Eukaryotic cells
Cell size Average diameter 0.5-10µm 10-100µm in diameter; usually 1000-10,000 times the volume of prokaryotic cells
Form Mainly Unicellular Mainly multicellular, (except Protista, many of which are unicellular)
Evolutionary origin 3.5 thousand million years ago 1.2 thousand million years ago and these cells evolved from prokaryotic cells
Cell Division Mainly by binary fission with spindle fiber formation By mitosis, meiosis or both and form spindle fiber
Genetic materials DNA is circular and lies freely in cytoplasm DNA is linear and contained in nucleus
Nucleus Incipient nucleus (No true nucleus) True or real nucleus
DNA DNA is naked (Not associated with proteins or RNA to form chromosome) DNA is associated with proteins and RNA to form chromosome
Nuclear membrane Absent Present
Nucleoplasm Absent Present (Well organized)
Cell wall Rigid and made up of peptidoglycan or murein (Murein or peptidoglycan is composed of polysaccharides associated with amino acids) Cell wall of plants and Fungi are rigid and composed of cellulose in plant, chitin in fungi Cell wall is absent in animal cell
Flagella Simple type, lacks microtubules and lack 9+2 arrangement, extracellular, 20nm in diameter Complex type, with 9+2 arrangement of microtubules, intracellular, 200nm in diameter
Cell organelles Very few or absent None are surrounded by double membrane Many organelles Double membrane bound cell organelles such as Mitochondria, ER, chloroplast, Golgi complex, lysosome, vacuoles, etc are present
Ribosome 70s type Both 70S and 80S type
Endoplasmic reticulum No endoplasmic reticulum is present Endoplasmic reticulum are of two types; Rough and smooth type Ribosomes may be attached to endoplasmic reticulum
Respiration site Mesosome in bacteria except cytoplasmic membrane in Blue green bacteria Mitochondria for aerobic respiration
Photosynthesis Bacteriochlorophyll in bacteria Chloroplast (Plastid) contains chlorophyll which are stacked into lamellae or grana
Nitrogen fixation Some bacteria have ability to fix atmospheric Nitrogen None have the ability to fix Nitrogen
Centrioles Absent Present in Animal cells
Cyclosis (movement of cytoplasm) Absent Present
Exocytosis and Endocytosis Absent Present
  Absent9+2 arrangement of microtubules in flagella Present
Duration of cell cycle Short Long
Examples Bacteria, Blue green Bacteria Plant, Animal, Fungi

Major Difference between Prokaryotic cells and Eukaryotic cells