Question

If metabolism can occur in cell-free systems then why cellular organisation is an important feature of living organisms.

Answer 1

A cell-free system is an in vitro tool undertaken in order to study biological phenomena that occur inside the organism, i.e., in vivo. However, a cell free system cannot replicate or reflect the complexity with which various interactions occur inside a whole cell. It is just a mode that researchers used to study metabolism and other phenomenon in a simplistic fashion. In a cell free system, we only provide the optimum conditions and the necessary factors that are mandatory for a specific reaction to occur. By doing this, we exclude all the multifactors present in a whole cell which complicate the study and understanding of a single metabolic reaction.