Cell Structure Flashcards
A protective lipid bilayer surrounding each cell. It regulates what enters and leaves the cell.
Cell Membrane
The porous outermost layer that surrounds the cell membrane. It plays a role in protecting and supporting the cell. It is made up of layers that can be flexible and elastic or rigid and woody.
Cell Wall
This organelle converts the radiant energy of the sun into chemical energy through the process of photosynthesis.
Chloroplast
This jelly-like substance, composed mostly of water, lies between the nucleus and the cell membrane.
Cytoplasm
Actin, microtubules, and microfilaments form this organelle of the cell, which aids in cell movement and the cell its shape. Vesicles are pulled along microtubules from the Golgi body to other parts of the cell.
Cytoskeleton
A network of sacs that are responsible for manufacturing, processing and transporting chemical compounds used by the cell. This contains ribosomes. Proteins produced by the ribosomes are released and transported through this organelle.
Endoplasmic Reticulum
A stack of membranes that collect and modify chemical compounds. It packages compounds to be used in other parts of the cell or exported outside the cell.
Golgi Apparatus
The ‘powerhouse’ of the cell that converts nutrients into energy that can be used by the cell. It contains their own DNA and may once have been independent bacteria.
Mitochondrion
This double layered membrane surrounds and protects the nucleus of the cell. Pores in this organelle allow molecules to move in and out of nucleus.
Nuclear Membrane
Found inside the nucleus, this organelle contains RNA and synthesizes ribosomes.
Nucleolus
This contains the cell’s DNA and regulates gene expression.
Nucleus
Organelles that carry out many functions in plant cells, including photosynthesis (chloroplasts), pigment synthesis and storage (chromoplasts), and food storage (leucoplasts). Like mitochondria, they contain their own DNA.
Plastid
Found on the rough endoplasmic reticulum and throughout the cytoplasm, these tiny structures are the sites of protein synthesis in the cell.
Ribosome
A large vesicle that stores water and small amounts of other chemicals and nutrients. The organelle helps support the plant and give the plant cell its rigid shape.
Vacuole
Small, saclike structures created by the Golgi apparatus. They store and deliver nutrients and proteins throughout the cell. They also transport nutrients and proteins out of the cell through the cell membrane. They include vacuoles and lysosomes.
Vesicle
