Cell Biology by the Numbers
Size of the human genome =
3.2 Gbp
Yeast cell volume
30 micrometers cubed = 30 femtoliters
Time to transcribe a gene in HeLa cells (including mRNA processing) ~
30 minutes
Time to translate a protein in HeLa cells (including mRNA export from the nucleus) ~
30 minutes
HeLa cell volume ~
3000 cubic micrometers ~ 3000 femtoliters
Mean diameter of a protein (true for E.coli, yeast, and humans)
4-5 nanometers
Size of the E. coli genome =
4.6 Mbp
Diffusion time for a small molecule across an E. coli cell
0.001 seconds
Diffusion time for a protein across an E. coli cell
0.01 seconds
Diffusion time for a small molecule across a HeLa cell ~
0.1 to 1 second(s)
Diameter of a water molecule
0.3 nanometers
Humans are (diploid/haploid)
Diploid
E.coli cell length ~
2 micrometers
Length of a "typical" (no such thing) mitochondrion ~
2 micrometers
Number of proteins per cubic micrometer of cell volume (true for E.coli, yeast, and humans)
2-4 x 10e6
Rate of translation for mRNAs in E.coli
20 amino acids per second
HeLa cell diameter ~
20 micrometers
Number of protein coding genes in humans =
21,000
Yeast cell generation time ~
3 hours
Number of protein coding genes in E. coli =
4300
Yeast cell diameter ~
5 micrometers
HeLa cell generation time ~
1 day
E.coli generation time (time between cell divisions) ~
1 hour
E.coli cell diameter ~
1 micrometer
Width of a "typical" mitochondrion ~
1 micrometer
E.coli cell volume ~
1 micrometer cubed = 10e(-15) liters = 1 femtoliter
E.coli cell mass ~
1 picogram
Time scale for binding of a transcription factor to a DNA site (E. coli, yeast, HeLa) ~
1 second
Time scale for transitions between protein states (for example, inactive to active)
1 to 100 microseconds
Diffusion time for a small protein across a HeLa cell ~
1-10 seconds
Typical gene length in E. coli ~
1000 base pairs
Mutation rate in E. coli ~
10e-10 mutations per base pair per replication of the genome
Mutation rate in humans ~
10e-10 mutations per base pair per replication of the genome
Approximate number of mitochondria per cell, for yeast ~
10e1
Approximate number of mitochondria per cell, for mammalian (i.e. HeLa) cells ~
10e3 to 10e4
Typical gene length in HeLa (human cells) ~
10e4 to 10e6 base pairs (with introns)
Rate of transcription for genes in E. coli
80 nucleotides per second
Average distance between proteins in living cells (according to Hoffman)
<10 nanometers
E. coli is (diploid/haploid)
Haploid
