Cells and Organelles Flashcards
Describe the method of preparation of light microscopy.
- Fix the tissue in formalin to preserve structure.
- Embed the tissue in a paraffin wax
- Section the tissue and place on glass microscope slide
- Stain the tissue for light microscopy and preparation of digitized images (ie: H/E)
What is light microscopy used to identify
organelles, cells, tissues, organs
Describe Hemotoxylin
- basic dye (dye + Cl- )
- reacts with anionic groups (carry a negative charge)
- stain things blue/purple (darker) ; darkness depends on the concentration of the substances.
- BASOPHILIC
Give some examples of basophilic structures
nucleus (due to negative charge from nucleic acids in DNA/RNA) Rough ER (if a lot) due to nucleic acids Cartialge, because lots of proteoglycans/ glycosaminoglycans Glycosaminoglycans (ie: Keratin sulfate, chondroitin sulfate) due to the negative charge on the sulfate (SO4 - ) group
Describe Eosin
- acidic dye (Nat + dye - )
- react with cationic groups (carry a net positive charge)
- stain things red/pink (lighter); darkness depends on the concentration of substances
- EOSINOPHILIC or ACIDOPHILIC
Give some examples of eosinophilic structures
cytoplasmic filaments (like in muscle cells) cytoplasm, especially mitochondria extracellular structures, like type I collagen fibers
What is electron microscophy (TEM) used to identify
subcellular analysis.. the identification of organelles within the cells; electron dense = black areas, electron lucent = white area (does not necessarily correlate to basophilia/eosinophilia)
Describe the method of preparation of TEM
- tissues fixed
- embedded in plastic
- sectioned
- stained with HEAVY METAL (ie: osmium tetroxide)
TEM vs. Light microscopy
TEM allows for a more defined visualization and for examination sub-cellular
TEM uses a heavy metal to stain, LM uses H/E to stain
TEM: prep/embedded onto plastic slides, LM: embed into parrafin wax, prep onto glass slides
Describe the cell
basic structural and functional unit of the mammalian body; variations in structure (and thus function) give variability in body tissue types
What contents do all cells have
nucleus, organelles, cytoplasm
Describe the Nucleus structure, components, function, stain
- double membrane
- contains genetic information
- separates nuclear transcription of DNA to mRNA from the cytoplasmic translation of mRNA into protein
- Contain: chromatin, nucleolus, nuclear envelope, nuclear pores
What is the function of the nucleolus
site of RNA synthesis and DNA replication
initial site of ribosome assembly
What are inclusions
Cell-type specific membrane or non-membrane bound materials in cytoplasm
What are the general functions of the cell membranes?
- semi-permeable barrier that surrounds the organelles
- basic structural organization
- delimit cellular functional compartments and concentrate metabolites for biochemical pathways
- contain lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates to allow it to function
Fluid mosaic model
proteins in the plasma membrane can move laterally (PM is not a rigid structure)
What are cell membranes composed of?
-phospholipid bilayer: two fatty acid chains and a polar head group
fatty acid chains directed inward (to exclude water), heads directed towards cytoplasm/extracellular fluid
-proteins, lipids, cholesterol, carbohydrates, glycoproteins, etc. all on/in membrane
What way do the carbohydrate group of glycoproteins usually face?
Towards the extracellular side (outside of the cell)
How does the plasma membrane appear in TEM? in LM?
TEM: two outer electron dense lines (polar head groups), one inner electron lucent line (fatty acid tails); called the “trilaminar membrane)
LM: a line
Describe cholesterol; what is its function? what is its structure?
Function: Structural rigidity; prevent extremes in consistency of membrane
Structure: BOTH a hydrophilic and hydrophobic portion
-OH aligns with polar head groups (hydrophilic)
-steroid rings tuck with fatty acid (hydrophobic)
Describe Integral Membrane Proteins (general)
- partially or fully embedded in the lipid bilaryer
- CAN move laterally within the membrane
- CANNOT be removed without destroying the membrane
Describe Transmembrane Proteins (general)
type of integral membrane proteins that span the bilayer and have domains that are exposed to each surface of the membrane
glycoprotein
an integral membrane protein that has a carbohydrate attached (on the extracellular side)
Peripheral Protein
- proteins that are indirectly linked to the plasma membrane via protein-protein interactions or protein-phospholipid interactions
- DO NOT insert into the phospholipid
- usually in the cytoplasm (intracellular) and attached to cytoskeleton