L2: Plant Cell Overview and Methods Flashcards
Components of cells or biological macromolecules
proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids
What does the cell do?
Manufacture, structure, transit, power, storage, waste
Cytoplasm
all contents of a cell inside the plasma membrane, except the nucleus (includes the organelles and cytosol)
Cytosol
the liquid component of the cytoplasm, surrounding the organelles
Manufacture parts of the cell
Nucleus (head office, cytoplasm (factory floor), cytosol, ribosomes, ER, Golgi, vesicles, plastids
Power parts of the cell
plastids (chloroplasts), mitochondria, breakdown of storage organelles
Storage components of the cell
plastids (chromoplasts and leucoplasts), vacuoles, oil bodies
chromoplasts
pigment synthesis
Leucoplasts
lack pigment
amyloplasts
starch synthesis and storage
apoplast
extracellular space (outside of the plasma membrane); includes cell wall
symplast
region within the plasma membrane
waste components of the cell
Vacuole (crystals), apoplast, peroxisomes, entire cell via programmed death
peroxisomes
break down fatty acids and waste
structure components of the cell
cell wall, vacuole/cytoplasm
protoplast
plant cells that have their cell walls removed (enzymatic treatment)
How are new cell walls created?
formed during cytokinesis
microtubules carry vesicles that merge into cell plate that expands outwards until it hits the parental wall
when the cell plate fuses with the parental wall, it officially becomes a cell wall
transit components of the cell
cytoskeleton (microfilaments and microtubules), golgi, vesicles, cell wall, plasma membrane
how does the plant do shipping and receiving?
via plasmodesmata, diffusion, transporters
Intracellular
within a cell
intercellular
between cells
plasmodesmata
tiny cytoplasmic connections between adjacent plant cells (found in primary cell walls)
cells sharing plasmodesmata form a ______
symplasm
Microscopes
an instrument that magnifies an object
micrograph
photographs taken with a microscope
light microscopy
uses photons
lower magnification potential than electron microscopy (range of scales)
can look at both living and dead materials
Electron microscopy
Uses a focused beam of electrons
examine objects on a very fine scale (subcellular features)
higher magnification than light microscopy
typically dead/preserved specimens
types of electron microscopy
Scanning electron microscopy
Transmission electron microscopy
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
for visualizing surface topography (typically dead sample)
magnifies sample 1-2 million X/times
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM)
visualizing anatomy, high magnifications for subcellular details (internal anatomy) (sample is dead)
produces 2D image that is magnified >50 million times
Types of light microscopes
Dissecting/stereo, compound, confocal
What do stains do?
allow us to visualize other things in the cell
Dissecting/stereo microscopes
observing specimen surface features with up to 70X magnification
sample can remain alive
Compound microscope
more than one lens to create magnified image up to 1000X magnification
observing specimens internal anatomy (sections)
Confocal microscopes
uses laser light to scan samples that have been dyed
allows surface and internal anatomy observation without cutting the specimen (sample can remain alive_
anatomical planes
planes are lines that cut/divide a specimen into different components
Transverse plane
cross-section that runs through middle (cut horizontal)
radial plane
along the radius
tangential plane
cut to show side
How prepared slides are made
Fix specimen
dehydrate specimen
embed specimen in paraffin wax or resin
section with microtome
mount sections on slide
stain
add coverslip and seal
