Chapter 3: Cells, Tissues & Compartmentation Flashcards
What is a cell? How do their appearances matter? What are some of the common features they share?

- Cells are the basic functional units of a body
- Their appearances reflect the variety of shapes and sizes which also reflect their diverse functions
- The common features they share are…
- Plasma membrane with proteins
- Cytoplasm
- Organelles
- Nucleus

What is the plasma membrane? What do its parts do?
-The plasma membrane is a phospholipid barrier between intracellular and extracellular environments.
- Lipids restrict water soluble molecules & ions
- Protein channels are selectively permeable (they let some things in)
- Proteins and phospholipids move laterally = fluid mosaic model
What is the structure of a membrane phospholipid? How do the phospholipids arrange themselves?
-The membrane phospholipid has…
- A polar head that is hydrophilic
- A nonpolar fatty acid tail that is hydrophobic
-The phospholipids can arrage themselves as…
- A phospholipid bilayer sheet
- A micelle, a droplet of phospholipids that aid in transporting lipids for digestion
- A liposome, that has an aqueous center.
-The arrange themselves so their nonpolar tails are not in contact with any aqueous solutions such as extracellular fluid.

What are membrane proteins and what are their functions?

-Any protein associated with a membrane.
- Integral proteins span membrane
- Peripheral proteins are embedded on one side of the membrane
-Functions include…
- “Self” markers for the immune system
- Receptors for hormones and other molecules
- Enzymatic control of cell processes
- Structural support
- Transport
What is cytoplasm? What does it include?

-Essentially, the guts of the cell (material within a cell) it includes…
- Cytosol: gel-like substance enclosed in cell
- Organelles
- Protein fibers of Cytoskeleton: Microfilaments, intermediate filaments, microtubules.
-THE NUCLEUS IS EXCLUDED, it has it’s own little plasm and stuff.
What is the cytoskeleton? What does it do?

- The cytoskeleton is a network of fibers (microvilli, microfilaments, microtubules, intermediate filaments) throughout the cell’s cytoplasm.
- The cytoskeleton helps provide cell shape, internal organization, intracellular transport, assembly of cells into tissues, and movement.

How do cytoskeletal proteins work?

- Proteins of the cytoskeleton are not immobile
- Organize intracellular environment and allow the movement of muscle cells and phagocytic cells.
- Also provides a “railway” system for vesicles and organelles.

What are Cilia? What functions do Cilia perform?
- Tiny hairlike cytoplasmic projections with microtubules that extend from the surface of the plasma membrane.
- Propel movement, such as to move the cell or substances, particles adjacent to the cell surface. They are found in the respiratory tract and uterine tubes.

What is a flagellum? What is its function? What is the only cell in the human body that has one?
- Flagellum are a single whiplike structure composed of microtubles that can propel a cell forward or move particles along cell surface.
- A sperm is the only cell in the human body with flagellum.

What is a mitochondria? What function does it perform?
- A structure that contains an inner membrane and outer membrane separated by an intermembranous space with inner membrane folded into cristae.
- The mitrochondria releases energy from food molecules and transforms that energy into usable ATP. (site of energy production)

What is the Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)? What function does it preform?

- The rough ER is a system of interconnected membrane forming canals and tubles with ribosomes attached.
- The rough (granular) endoplasmic reticulum is the main site protein synthesis and assembles and modifies these proteins.
What is the Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)? What function does it perform?

- The smooth endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a system of interconnected membrane-forming canals and tubules that is agranular in appearance.
- The smooth ER synthesizes lipids, steroids (nonpolar compounds) and is modified in some cells and stores calcium ions.
- Modified in liver & muscle cells (concentrates and stores calcium ions)
What are ribosomes? What functions do they perform?

- Ribosomes are granular particles composed of two subunits which are proteins and ribosomal RNA. They are Located free in cytoplasm or on rough ER.
- Ribosomes synthesize proteins
- Messenger RNA takes genetic information to ribosome so protein can be assembled
What is the Golgi apparatus? What function does it perform?

- The Golgi apparatus consists of a cluster of flattened membranous sacs.
- The Golgi apparatus…
- Receives proteins from one side of the ER
- Modifies and packages these proteins into vesicles
- The vesicles then bud off to fuse with plasma membrane for exocytosis
- It also synthesizes carbohydrates and packages molecules for secretion such as lipids and glycoproteins.
What is endocytosis?
-Endocytosis is a process by which a cell membrane folds inward to taken in substances bound to its surface as a vesicle.

What is exocytosis?
-Passage of material to cell surface by fusing a vesicle with contents to a cell membrane and then opening.

What is phagocytosis?
- Process through which pseudopods (temporary projection of the cytoplasm of certain cells or of certain unicellular organisms) engulf bacteria, dead cells, or organic materials to form a food vacuole.
- Vacuole then fuses with lysosome and bacterium is digested.
- Some white blood cells move by using cytoskeleton by extended pseudopods forward (amoeboid movement)

What are the four major tissues that our organs are composed of? How are these tissues held together?
- Our organs are composed of muscle, nervous, epithelial, and connective tissue.
- The tissues (made of of cells) are connected & held together by various types of cell junctions.

What is muscle tissue? How many types of muscle tissue are there? What are they?
- Muscle tissue are “excitable” cells specialized for contraction.
- There are three types of muscle tissue:
- Skeletal
- Cardiac
- Smooth

What is connective tissue? What are the different forms of connective tissue?

- Connective tissue is biological tissue that supports, connects, and seperates different types of tissues and organs of the body.
- Connective tissue is characterized by a matrix of protein fibers, and extracelluar material between cells
- Can be gel-like
- Semi-solid
- Solid
- Liquid

What is epithelial tissue? Classify it by layer, and layer’s associated function. How about by shape?

- Epithelial tissue is membranous tissue that lines/covers internal organs and other internal surfaces of the body and forms glands.
- Epithelial tissue is classifed by number of layers
- Simple for one layer; focuses mainly on secretion, absorption, and material passage.
- Stratified for multiple layers, focuses mainly on protection.
-Epithelial tissue is also classifed by the shape of it’s cells.
- Squamous
- Cuboidal
- Columnar

What is nervous tissue? Where is it located?
- Composed of neurons and glial support cells, it is designed to react to stimuli and bring about response to stimulus.
- Found in brain, spinal cord, and nerves

How does a neuron work?
-Neurons conduct electrical signals
- Dendrites receive signal
- Axon sends signal
- Cell body serves as metabolic (related to chemical activity of a particular substance) center

What is mitosis? What is meiosis? What is the difference between the two?

- Mitosis is the process through which a cell divides into two daughter cells each of which have the same number of chromosomes as the original cell.
- Meiosis is the process through which a cell’s nucleus divides into four nuclei, each of which have half the usual number of chromosomes.
- The difference between the two is that…
- Mitosis ends up with 46 chromosomes per cell
- Meiosis ends up with 23 chromosomes per cell
- Mitosis deals with body cells
- Meiosis occurs only in ovaries and testes to produce games such as sperm and eggs.















