Cell Ultrastructure Flashcards
How is the image viewed using a light microscope?
Directly
How is the image viewed using a transition electron microscope (TEM)?
On a fluorescent screen
What is the purpose of the heated filament in a TEM?
Source of electrons
What is used as the lenses in a TEM?
Electromagnets
Why is the specimen for a TEM not on glass?
Glass would disrupt the electrons
How is the image viewed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM)?
On a viewing screen
What is the specimen for a SEM treated with?
Gold or palladium
Why is the specimen for SEM treated with gold or palladium?
So it reflects electrons, giving a surface image
What is the limit of resolution?
The minimum distance at which two objects can be distinguished
What is the limit of resolution proportional too?
Wavelength
What happens to resolution as wavelength decreases?
It improves
What does the wavelength of electrons depend on?
Voltage
Is the theoretical limit of resolution ever reached?
No
What is the theoretical limit of resolution for light microscopes?
0.2µm
What is the theoretical limit of resolution for electron microscopes?
0.002nm
What membranes do prokaryotes have?
Have external membrane, but no internal membrane
Where do all biochemical processes of a prokaryotic cell occur?
All in same compartment
How are eukaryotic cells compartmentalised?
By internal membranes
Give 10 components of a eukaryotic cell
- Endosome
- Lysosome
- Cytosol
- Golgi apparatus
- Peroxisome
- Endoplasmic reticulum
- Nucleus
- Free polyribosomes
- Mitochondria
- Plasma membrane
How many proteins does a typical mammalian cell synthesise?
More than 100,000
What do phospholipids consist of?
NAME?
What does the head group of phospholipids consist of?
Choline-Phosphate-Glycerol
What does the hydrophobic tail of a phospholipid consist of?
2 fatty acids
What kind of molecules are phospholipids?
Amphipathic
What do phospholipid molecules make up?
The cell membrane
What does the phospholipid bilayer form?
A relatively impermeable barrier to most water-soluble molecles
What mediates most other functions of the phospholipid bilayer?
Proteins ‘dissolved’ in the membrane
Are the proteins in the phospholipid bilayer free to move?
Some are attached to cytoskeletal elements, so can\t move as much, but some freely mobile
How can membrane proteins be associated with the bilayer?
NAME?
What parts of proteins often sit in the membrane?
α-helical regions
What is the cell coat called?
Glycocalyx
What is the glycocalyx made up of?
Oligosaccaride and polysaccharide side chains on outside of plasma memebrane
What do sugars give to the cell membrane?
Specificity of action
What is the importance of the specificity of action of the glycocalyx?
It allows them to work as receptors or stimulators
What are the functions of the plasma membrane?
- Selective permeability
- Transport of materials along cell surface
- Endocytosis
- Exocytosis
- Intercellular adhesion
- Intercellular recognition
- Signal transduction
What does the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) have?
Ribosomes
Do all cells have RER?
Yes
Where is RER more abundant?
In cells producing a lot of protein