cell bitch Flashcards
absorption
the movement of substances from the external environment across the cell membranes into the internal environment of a cell or organism
amino acid
a nitrogen-containing compound that is a building block of proteins
apoptosis
the programmed series of events that leads to cell death as a result of the deconstruction of internal contents of the cell
assimilation
the process through which an organism incorporates nutrients from outside its body into the more complex structures needed in its fluid or solid parts
ATP (adenosine triphosphate)
a high-energy compound composed of adenine, ribose and three phosphate groups; it releases energy for cellular reactions when its last phosphate group is removed and it is converted to ADP (adenosine diphosphate)
autotroph
an organism capable of making its own food from inorganic substances using light energy (through photosynthesis) or chemical energy (through chemosynthesis); includes green plants, algae and certain bacteria
Biomacromolecule
a molecule that has an important structural or functional role in cells
Carbohydrate
an organic compound that is a structural component of cells and a major energy source in the diet of animals; includes sugars, starches, celluloses and gums
cell
the basic structural unit of all life forms on Earth
cellular respiration
a series of cellular biochemical reactions and processes that use glucose and oxygen and produce carbon dioxide and water; the energy released is used to convert ADP to ATP
chemosynthesis
the synthesis of organic substances using energy from chemical reactions
chlorophyll
the green pigment found in chloroplasts; it is able to absorb light energy, making it available for photosynthesis
Chloroplast
a membrane-bound organelle found in the cytoplasm of plants and algae containing the green pigment chlorophyll; its main function is to be the site of photosynthesis and storage of carbohydrates
Cristae
the folded inner membranes in the matrix of the mitochondria, which provide increased surface area for cellular respiration
Cytoplasm
all the fluid, dissolved materials and organelles between the cell membrane and the nuclear membrane
Cytosol
the part of the cytoplasm containing highly organised fluid material with dissolved substances; excludes the organelles
Disaccharide
two linked monosaccharide molecules
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
an information molecule that is the universal basis of all organisms’ genetic material; it contains instructions, written in a chemical code, for the production of proteins by each cell
you can do this queen
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Endocytosis
the movement of solids or liquids into a cell from the environment via vesicle formation- the cell membrane extends out to surround the particle and englufls it(food filled vesicle is formed)
Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
an organelle in eukaryotic cells consisting of an interconnecting system of thin membrane sheets dividing the cytoplasm into compartments and channels; lipid synthesis occurs here
Endosymbiotic theory
the theory suggesting that chloroplasts and mitochondria arose from ancient prokaryote cells that were ingested by other prokaryote host cells
Enzyme
a tertiary structure proteins which catalyze reactions
a specific biological catalyst that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being altered itself by lowering the amount of energy required for the reaction to proceed
Eukaryote
a complex type of cell with a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles; a member of Domain Eukarya
Exocytosis
The material to be expelled is packaged into a vesicle inside the cell, which then moves towards the cell membrane, and then fuses into the cell membrane, allowing its contents to be released outside the cell
The process allows, large molecules or molecules in bulk to exit the cell 
Golgi apparatus
a collection of membranes that package and store substances into vesicles in preparation for their release from the cell
Glycoprotein
a protein molecule with an attached carbohydrate chain
Heterotroph
an organism that cannot synthesise its own organic compounds from simple inorganic materials; it depends on other organisms for nutrients and energy requirements
Inorganic compounds
small, simple compounds which do not contain both carbon and hydrogen; for example, water and carbon dioxide
Intercellular
occurring between cells
Intracellular
occurring within a cell
Ion
an atom or molecule that has an electrical charge due to losing or gaining electrons; used by cells as reactants for many cellular processes
Lipid
a type of organic molecule that includes fats and oils; insoluble in water
Lysosome
an organelle within the cytoplasm containing digestive enzymes
Magnification
the scaling up of an object’s size; a measure of the degree of enlargement of an observed object, measured by multiples such as 4×, 10×, 40× and 100×
Messenger RNA (mRNA)
a ribonucleic acid formed in the nucleus that has a sequence complementary to DNA; it travels to the cytoplasm where its information is read by ribosomes to determine which amino acids are joined together to form proteins
Metabolism
the sum of all the biochemical reactions in an organism; can be divided into two types, catabolic reactions and anabolic reactions
Microscopy
the technical field of using microscopes to view samples and objects that cannot be seen with the unaided eye (objects that are not within the resolution range of the eye)
Mitochondrion
an organelle within the cytoplasm that is the site of cellular respiration, releasing energy for the cell
Monomer
a small molecule that acts as a building block for macromolecules
Monosaccharide
a simple sugar, such as glucose, which cannot be broken down into smaller sugar molecules
Nucleic acid
a large organic molecule made up of monomers of nucleotides; DNA and RNA are the information-carrying molecules of the cell
Nucleolus
a site for assembling protein and RNA that will later form ribosomes; visible in a non-dividing cell
Nucleotide
an organic compound composed of a sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base; a subunit of DNA and RNA
the basic building block of nucleic acids (RNA and DNA)
Organelle
a structure, most often membrane-enclosed, that is suspended in the cytosol of a cell and that performs a specialist function; only eukaryotes have membrane-bound organelles
Organic molecules
large, complex carbon compounds usually derived from a living thing; for example, glucose and starch
Photosynthesis
a metabolic process that converts the Sun’s light energy into stored chemical energy in the bonds of carbohydrates; carbon dioxide and water combine in the presence of light and chlorophyll to produce sugars and oxygen
Plasmid
a small, circular piece of DNA that is found in bacteria and is able to replicate independently of the cell’s main chromosome
Polymer
a large molecule built up from linking smaller molecules together
Polysaccharide
a type of complex carbohydrate that is made up of linked simple sugars
Prokaryote
a simple type of cell that lacks a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles; a member of domains Archaea or Bacteria
Protein
a large organic molecule, built up of amino acids, with specific structural and functional roles in living things; includes enzymes
Resolution
the measure of the clarity of the image; can be described as the minimum distance between two distinguishable but separate points
Ribosome
a small structure present in high numbers in all cells that builds amino acids into complex proteins; this organelle is not bound by a membrane
RNA (ribonucleic acid)
the single-stranded nucleic acid that functions in transcribing and translating information from DNA into proteins
Rough endoplasmic reticulum (rough ER)
endoplasmic reticulum with ribosomes attached
Smooth endoplasmic reticulum (smooth ER)
endoplasmic reticulum with no ribosomes attached
Stem cell
an unspecialised, immature cell capable of giving rise to different kinds of specialised, differentiated cells
Stroma
function?
the jelly-like semi-fluid interior of a chloroplast
contains the chloroplast genetic system and a variety of metabolic enzymes, including those responsible for the critical conversion of CO2 to carbohydrates during photosynthesis.
equivalent in function to the mitochondria
Thylakoid membrane
highly folded membranes found in chloroplasts, specifically in plants and green algae. These membranes contain stacked (grana) and unstacked (stromal) regions and enclose an inner aqueous compartment called the lumen.the interconnected folded membranes within chloroplasts
Triglyceride
a simple lipid formed by linking glycerol with three fatty acids
Unicellular
having a single cell
Vesicle
a small, membrane-bound sac in the cytoplasm that transports, stores or digests substances
food
organic chemicals that provide energy and matter for living things to use.
Radio trophic (type of autotroph)
type of fungi are able to use melanin to capture the energy from radiation to create food.
model
a representation that describes, simplifies, clarifies or provides an explanation of the workings, structure or relationships within an object, system or idea.
diffusion
the net movement of particles from a region of high particle concentration to a region of lower particle concentration.
concentration gradient
The difference in particle concentration between the two regions
what causes difusion
because of the random kinetic movement of the particles, and its effects are seen when a concentration gradient exists until the particles are evenly distributed throughout the system. When that happens, equilibrium is said to be reached. Particles will continue to move randomly, but at equilibrium they move at equal rates in all directions
osmosis
passive process
the diffusion of water through a semipermeable membrane and down its concentration gradient. Water is the medium in which biochemical processes take place. Water also transports materials in solution, helps keep cells in shape and forms the fluid that bathes tissues. Water is described as the universal solvent.If you add sugar or salt to water, you are adding solute to solvent and making a solution.
dilute solution
relatively high concentration of water molecules compared to solute particles dissolved in it
concentrated solution
low concentration of solvent molecules and a high concentration of solute particles
hypotonic solution
lower solute concentration in extracellular fluid compared with intercellular fluid
water moves into the cell
isotonic solution
same concentration of solutions inside and outside of cells
no net movement of water
hypertonic solution
higher solute concentration in extracellular fluid compared with intarcellular fluid
water moves out of cells
solute particle
the substance that gets dissolved. For example, when you add sugar to water, the sugar is the solute.