Cell Structure (Ch. 3) Flashcards
- Boundary of the cell
- Phospholipid bilayer
- Described by “Fluid Mosaic Model”
- Selectively permeable
- Includes proteins + lipids + carbohydrates
Plasma membrane
“Inside the cell”
Intracellular
“Outside the cell”
Extracellular
The intracellular environment made up of cytosol and organelles
Cytoplasm
Fluid between cells in the body
Interstitial fluid
Site for binding of a chemical messenger on the plasma membrane; “docking station”
Receptor molecules
Allow for cell recognition; important for the immune system to recognize invaders
Marker molecules
- Proteins and lipids with carbohydrates (sugars) stuck to them
- Act as receptor and marker molecules in the plasma membrane
Glycoproteins and glycolipids
- Any kind of movement through a plasma membrane that uses no energy
Passive transport
- Any kind of movement through a cell membrane that requires energy (ATP)
- May move solutes against their concentration gradient (i.e. from low to high)
Active transport
Dissolved substance in a solution
Solute
Liquid in a solution
Solvent
From higher to lower concentration
Concentration gradient
Net movement of a substance along its concentration gradient
Diffusion
- Diffusion of a dissolved substance (solute) along its concentration gradient;
- Occurs when membrane is permeable to the solute
Dialysis
- Diffusion of water along its concentration gradient
- Occurs when membrane is NOT permeable to the solute
Osmosis
- Equal (balanced) concentration of solutes between two solutions (i.e. between intracellular and extracellular)
- No net movement occurs
Isotonic
- A solution that contains a higher concentration of solutes (in comparison)
- A cell put in this solution with SHRINK (if its membrane is not permeable to the solute)
Hypertonic
- A solution that contains a lower concentration of solutes (in comparison)
- A cell put in this solution may burst or LYSE (if its membrane is not permeable to the solute)
Hypotonic
- A type of passive transport in which a moving stream of liquid (e.g. the blood stream) flows over a membrane, and only particles small enough to fit through tiny holes in the membrane get through.
Filtration
A type of passive transport in which substances diffuse, but with the help of “carrier” molecules
Facilitated diffusion
A tiny “bubble” of membrane, filled with material for transport.
Vesicle
- Extracellular material pushes up against the plasma membrane of a cell until part of the membrane caves in and surrounds it
- Allows for particles too large to fit through the plasma membrane to enter the cell in the form of vesicles
Endocytosis
- A cell wraps itself around something solid, like an invading bacteria, until the invader becomes completely surrounded (“eaten”)
Phagocytosis