Cellular Structure Flashcards
What are Prokaryotes?
Unicellular
- No membrane bound organelles
- DNA not in nucleus
- Eg Bacteria
What are Eukaryotes?
Unicellular or Multicellular
- membrane bound organelles
- DNA found in the nucleus
- Eg Animals, Plants, Fungi and Protoctists
What are all the organelles ?
- nucleus
- Rough endoplasmic reticulum
- Smooth endoplasmic reticulum
- Golgi apparatus
- Lysosome
- Mitochondria
- Chloroplast
- Vacuole
What is the function of the nucleus?
- Contains the cellular DNA and controls the cellular activities through the production of mRNA, tRNA and rRNA.
- Also assembles ribosomes
What is the structure of the nucleus ?
- Surrounded by a nuclear envelope which is a double membrane. Outer membrane is continuous with the endoplasmic reticulum.
- nuclear pores are small channels that span the nuclear envelope and let substances enter and exit the nucleus. Eg mRNA out of the nucleus
- Each pore is lined by a set of proteins called the nuclear pore complex that control what molecules can go in and out.
- Chromatin is DNA wrapped around proteins called histones. Chromatin is found in the nucleoplasm, the jelly-like material that makes up the inside of the nucleus.
- the Nucleolus is a small spherical region which manufactures ribosomal RNA and assembles ribosomes. It holds genetic material for protein synthesis.
What is the structure of ribosomes?
- May be found free in the cytoplasm or associated with the rough endoplasmic reticulum
- 80S ribosomes -> found in eukaryotic cells
- 70S ribosomes -> found in prokaryotic cells and sometimes in mitochondria
- Ribosomes have two subunits, one large, one small.
- Both units are made of protein and rRNA.
What is the function of ribosomes
- protein Synthesis
- ribosomes has enzymatic properties that catalyse the formation of peptide bonds between amino acids
- between its two sub-units mRNA is held in place by the rRNA and proteins in the large subunit.
What is the structure of the Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum ?
- It is continuous with the Outer membrane of the nucleus
- Forms an interconnected network of flattened membrane-enclosed sacs called cisternae.
- has ribosomes present on the Outer surfaces of the membrane
What is the function of the rough endoplasmic reticulum?
protein Synthesis
What is the structure of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum?
- Lacks ribosomes on the surface
- Tubular form
What is the function of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum?
- Synthesises, stores and transports lipids and carbohydrates
What is the structure of the Golgi Apparatus?
- Consists of a stack of membranes that make up flattened sacs called cisternae
- not connected
What is the function of the Golgi Apparatus?
- proteins and lipids produced by the endoplasmic reticulum are passed through the Golgi apparatus
- the Golgi modifies these proteins, by either folding them into a specific shape or by adding a compound. Eg by the addition of carbohydrates to form glycoproteins
- Also labels them to be sorted and sent to their correct destinations
- Once sorted, the modified proteins and lipids are transported in vesicles which are regularly pinched off the Golgi cisternae. these vesicles May move to the cell surface where they fuse with the membrane and release their contents outside.
What is the structure of the Lysosome?
- Contain enzymes such as protease and lipases and lysozymes (enzymes which hydralise the cell wall of certain Bacteria)
- Lysosomes isolate these enzymes from the rest of the cell before releasing them either to the outside of the cell or into a phagocytic vesicle.
What is the function of the Lysosome ?
- Lysosomes fuse with vesicles
- they release hydrolytic enzymes