Cells, tissues and organs Flashcards
What are cell functions?
- structure and activity.
How do cells arise?
- division of existing cells.
In multicellular organisms how are cells organised?
- They are organised into tissues, organs and systems.
What is histogenesis?
- is the formation of different tissues from undifferentiated cells.
What is cellular differentiation?
- The process by which a cell becomes specialised in order to perform a specific function (e.g. A liver cell or a neurone).
What is a stem cell?
- An undifferentiated cell of a multicellular organism which is capable of giving rise to indefinitely more cells of the same type, and from which certain other kinds of cell arise by differentiation.
What is organogenesis?
- The production and development of the organs of an animal or plant.
What is the function of a cell membrane?
- Support.
- Protection.
- Controls movement of material in/out of cell.
- Barrier between the cell and its environment.
- Maintains homeostasis.
What is the function of a nucleus?
- Controls cell activities.
- Contains the hereditary material of a cell (i.e. DNA).
What is the function of a nuclear membrane?
- Controls movement of materials in/out of nucleus.
What is the function of a cytoplasm?
- Supports and protects cell organelles.
What is the function of a ribosome?
- synthesises proteins.
What is the function of a mitochondria?
- Breaks down sugar (glucose) molecules to release energy.
- Site of aerobic cellular respiration.
- Mitochondria has two compartments - an outer membrane which is smooth and an inner membrane which is folded to form cristae.
What is the function of a vacuole?
- Store food, water, metabolic and toxic wastes (animals have small vacuoles).
What is the function of a lysosome?
- Breaks down larger food molecules into smaller molecules.
- Digests old cell parts.
What is the function of the nucleolus?
- Makes ribosomes (and therefore rRNA).
What is the function of the golgi apparatus?
- Has a cis and trains face.
- Modifies proteins made by the cell.
- Packages and exports proteins.
What is the function of the centrioles?
- Cylindrical in shape.
- A centriole is a small set of microtubules arranged in a specific way.
- Found in pairs and move towards opposite ends of nucleus when time for cell division.
- Aid separation of chromosome pairs.
What is the function of the cytoskeleton?
- Strengthens cell and maintains the shape.
- Moves organelles within the cell.
What are the two main categories of cell?
- Prokaryotic.
- Eukaryotic.
Give 3 examples of prokaryotic cells.
- Bacteria.
- Mycoplasmas.
- Blue-green algae.
Give 3 examples of eukaryotic cells.
- Fungi.
- Protozoa.
- Multicellular plants and animals.
What are the characteristics of a prokaryotic cell?
- No nuclear envelope.
- No nucleoli.
- No histones.
- Few intracellular membranes.
- 60s ribosomes.
What are the characteristics of a eukaryotic cell?
- Prominent nuclear envelope.
- Nucleoli present.
- DNA complexed with histones.
- Many membrane-bound organelles.
- 80s ribosomes.
What is unusual about viruses?
- They are obligate parasites which lack all the characteristics of pro- and eukaryotes.
Define the term prokaryote.
- A microscopic single celled organism which has neither a distinct nucleus with a membrane or other specialised organelles.
Define the term eukaryote.
- An organism consisting of a cell (or cells) in which the genetic material is DNA in the form of chromosomes contained within a distinct nucleus (all living organisms are eukaryotes except eubacteria and archaea).
What is the function of nuclear pores?
- they control traffic to and from nucleus.
- Series of small holes in the nuclear membrane.
- Serves as a channel used for transporting nucleic acids and proteins in/out of the nucleus.
What is chromatin made of?
- DNA and nuclear proteins.
Name the two types of chromatin.
- Euchromatin and heterochromatin.
What are the characteristics of euchromatin?
- Actively transcribing.
- Pale in colour.
What are the characteristics of heterochromatin?
- Not being transcribed.
- “Resting”.
- Dark in colour.
Define the term protoplasm.
- The colourless material comprising the living part of a cell, including the cytoplasm, nucleus and organelles.
What is endocytosis?
- a form of active transport in which a cell transports molecules (such as proteins) into the cell by engulfing them in an energy-using process.
What is exocytosis?
- a form of active transport in which a cell transports molecules (such as proteins) out of the cell by expelling them in an energy using process.
What is the role of calcium nodules in the mitochondria.
- maintains calcium at levels required in the cell.
What is the difference between the rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum?
- Rough has ribosomes on it and smooth does not.
What is phagocytosis?
- Process by which a cell engulfs a solid particle to form an internal vehicle known as a phagosome.
- This is a specific form of endocytosis (e.g. macrophages and some white blood cells good at this).
What is pinocytosis?
- a mode of endocytosis in which small particles are brought into the cell, forming an invagination and then suspended within small vesicles.
What is receptor mediated endocytosis (Pinocytosis)?
- Mechanism in which specific molecules are ingested into the cell.
- The specificity results from a receptor-ligand interaction.
- Receptors on the plasma membrane of the target tissue will specifically bind to ligands on the outside of the cell (e.g transferrin -transfer iron from outside to inside the cell).