Cells Flashcards
What is the function of the cell surface membrane?
Controls exchange between cell and environment. Controls movement in and out of cell.
What is the structure of the cell surface membrane?
- Selectively permeable.
- Phospholipid bilayer -> to allow endocytosis and exocytosis.
- Receptors -> cell recognition and attachment.
What is the function of the nucleus?
Contains DNA/chromosomes, the genetic material for the cell.
What is the structure of the nucleus?
- Contains chromatin -> condenses to form chromosomes.
What is the function of the nuclear envelope?
Has nuclear pores to let mRNA leave and nucleotides enter.
What is the structure of the nuclear envelope?
- Nuclear pores.
- Two membranes -> outer one is continuous with RER.
What is the function of the nucleolus?
Makes rRNA and ribosomes.
What is the function of the mitochondria?
Site of aerobic respiration using oxygen to make ATP.
What is the structure of the mitochondria?
- Two membranes -> inner folded to form cristae which surround the matrix.
- Contain circular DNA.
- Contain 70S ribosomes.
What is the function of chloroplasts?
Site of photosynthesis using light.
What is the structure of chloroplasts?
- Double outer membrane with stroma inside.
- Grana -> several parallel stacked membrane called thylakoids.
- Contain starch grains in cytoplasm.
- Contain 70S ribosomes.
- Contain circular DNA.
What is the function of the golgi apparatus?
To package and modify proteins and transport lipids.
What is the structure of golgi apparatus?
- Stack of flattened cristernae, which form from RER and bud off the form vesicles.
What is the function lysosomes?
Breakdown unwanted organelles/structures/bacteria in phagocytosis.
What is the structure of lysosomes?
- Spherical sacs with a single membrane.
- Contain lysozymes.
What is the function of ribosomes?
Site of protein synthesis.
What is the structure of ribosomes?
- Made of rRNA and proteins.
- 80S (in eukaryotes).
What is the function of RER?
Has ribosomes attached which attach to mRNA in protein synthesis, and acts as a transport system.
What is the function of SER?
Makes lipids, steroids and carbohydrates.
What is the structure of SER and RER?
- System of membranes continuous with nuclear membrane and golgi body.
- Has flattened sacs called cristernae.
What is the function of a cell wall (plants/algae)?
Strengthens cell and gives it its structure, and prevents it from bursting.
What is the structure of a cell wall (plant/algae)?
- Permeable to water and solutes.
- Made of cellulose microfibrils polysaccharide.
What is the structure of a cell wall (fungi)?
- Made of chitin.
What is the function of a vacuole (plant cell)?
Act as storage sites.
What is the structure of a vacuole (plant cell) ?
- Large.
- Surrounded by a tonoplast.
What is the function of a vacuole (animal cells)?
Act as contractile vacuoles and may be formed during phagocytosis.
What is the structure of a vacuole (animal cells)?
- Small vesicles.
What is a tissue?
Aggregation of similar cells carrying out the same function.
What is an organ?
Aggregation of several tissues to perform a particular function for the whole organism.
What is an organ system?
Several organs working together.
Describes two ways in which epithelial cells in the small intestine are specialised to maximise absorption.
- Have microvilli -> increase surface area for absorption.
- Lots of mitochondria -> lots of aerobic respiration to make more ATP for active uptake of molecules.
State 7 differences between eukaryotes and prokaryotes?
- Eukaryotes have DNA enclosed in a nucleus, whereas prokaryotes have their DNA floating in cytoplasm.
- Eukaryotic DNA is long and linear, whereas prokaryotic DNA is short and circular.
- Eukaryotic DNA is associated to proteins called histones, whereas prokaryotic DNA is not attached to histones.
- Eukaryotes have membrane-bound organelles, whereas prokaryotes have no membrane bound organelles.
- Eukaryotic cell walls contain cellulose (plants) and chitin (fungi), whereas prokaryotic cell wall is made of murein.
- Ribosomes in eukaryotes are 80S, whereas ribosomes in prokaryotes are 70S.
- Eukaryotes don’t have a smile capsule, whereas most prokaryotes do have a smile capsule.
State 5 features of a virus and their function.
- Acellular -> do not show typical cell structure.
- Extremely small -> in order to enter living cells.
- Genetic material -> codes for a viral protein.
- Capsid -> protects genetic material.
- Attachment proteins -> binds to receptors on cells.
Describe the process of viral replication.
- Attachment proteins bind to complementary receptors on the surface of its host cells.
- They inject their genetic material into host cell.
- Use the host cells organelles to produce more protein capsids and therefore make more viruses.
Define magnification.
How many times bigger the imagine is than the specimen.
Define resolution.
The ability to see two points as two points.
State advantages and disadvantages of an optical microscope.
- Can view live specimen.
- Can see colours.
- Simple staining and slide preparation.
- x - Lower resolution than electron microscopes -> wavelengths are too long.
State advantages and disadvantages of a transmission electron microscope.
- Higher resolution than light -> smaller wavelength of electrons.
- -> Can see smaller objects.
- x - Specimen placed in vacuum ; must be dead.
- x - Complex staining procedure.
- x - Black and white only.
State advantages and disadvantages of a scanning electron microscopes.
- 3D image produced.
- x - in vacuum ; must be dead.
- x - Resolution not as high as TEM.
- x - Black and white image.
What is the equation to find magnification?
Magnification = size of image / size of real object
Describe the process of cell fractionation.
- Place broken open cells in cold, isotonic buffer solution.
- Filtration -> to filter out large cell debris but organelles pass through.
- Centrifuge at a slow speed to remove heaviest organelles such as nuclei.
- Re-spin at an increasing speed to remove pellets of chloroplasts, mitochondria then lysosomes then ribosomes.
- Ultracentrifugation - spin at a very high speed to separate molecules depending on their mass.
What occurs in interphase?
DNA replication.