Processes at cellular level Flashcards
What type of cell has the following characteristics?
- Small
- No membrane-bound organelles
- Relatively unstructured
- Not very organised internally
- A type of cell wall
Prokaryotic (bacterial) cells.
What type of cell has the following characteristics?
- Membrane-bound nucleus
- Larger than prokaryotic cells (are multi-cellular organisms)
- More complex than Prokaryotes
Eukaryotic cells
Define the term organelles
Specialised structures inside the cell that carry out various functions.
Cell wall function
A semi-rigid layer on the outside of the cell. It is composed of cellulose and it provides support for the cell.
Cytoplasm function
A jelly-like fluid. It is the site of many cellular reactions. It also acts as a medium for transport inside the cell.
Large central vacuole function
organelle can serve a variety of secretory, excretory and storage functions.
Nucleus function
The nucleus regulates all cell activity. It contains the genetic material (DNA) of the cell.
Chloroplast function
Absorb light energy to make glucose via photosynthesis. They contain the light-absorbing pigment chlorophyll.
Golgi body function
modify, sort and package proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum for storage and transport within and out of the cell.
Ribosomes function
site of protein synthesis. They can be free-floating within the cytoplasm or associated with the endoplasmic reticulum.
Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER): function
It creates a network of membranes throughout the entire cell. ER can be smooth (no ribosomes) or rough (ribosomes present).
Mitochondria function
The site where aerobic respiration is completed. Mitochondria have two membranes: an outer smooth membrane and an inner wrinkled membrane; inner foldings of the inner membrane are called cristae.
Cell membrane function
It separates the cytoplasm inside the cell from its surroundings, and regulates what enters and exits cell
Vacuole function
Membrane-bound compartments that can serve a variety of secretory, excretory and storage functions.
Lysosome function
Contains digestive enzymes to digest old organelles and parts of organelles.
Nucleolus function:
a non-membrane-bounded structure inside the nucleus. Its function is to transcribe DNA to ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and assemble it within the cell.
Name the structure with the following structures? (and complete the sentences)
- a phospholipid double bilayer ….
- Proteins move …..
- Various cell activities take place here and…
Cell membrane
- which is made of two layers: hydrophobic tails and hydrophilic heads
- freely in this fluid/flexing structure
- certain substances are allowed to move in and out of the cell membrane.
Name the three qualities of passive transport
- No energy (ATP) is required for substances to move across the membrane
- Substances move from high to low concentration
- Substances move with the concentration gradient
Define diffusion ( the three qualities)
- Passive transport
- Diffusion is the net movement of particles from an area of high concentration to a low concentration until the concentration is at equilibrium
- Substances are moving down the concentration gradient
Factors that affect the rate of diffusion:
(4)
- size of the molecules (small molecules move faster than larger molecules).
- temperature of the liquid or gas (warmer molecules move faster).
- state of matter that is being diffused (gas molecules move faster than those in liquids).
- concentration of chemicals (the greater the concentration gradient the faster the rate of diffusion down the gradient).
Comments on diffusion in cells (3)
Diffusion is much less efficient if ….
SMALL CELLS have a LARGER…..
- Diffusion is much less efficient if cells are larger- meaning a small surface area relative to their internal volume.
- SMALL CELLS have a LARGER
Surface Area : Volume
Define Facilitated diffusion in cells (5)
First hint: Facilitated or passive transport
- Passive transport
- Transportation of molecules that are too big to move across the cell membrane
- Requires transport proteins embedded in the membrane
- These proteins contain channels that the large molecules diffuse through
- Transport proteins are specific (carry only one type of molecule)
Define Osmosis
- Transportation of water molecules from high concentration to low concentration water concentration
- Transportation of water molecules towards the highest solute concentration
Define a hypertonic solution
Hypertonic: more solute than water molecules (solvent)
Define hypotonic solution
more water molecules (solvent) than solute
Define isotonic solution
equal amount of solute and water molecules (solvent)
If you put a cell inside a HYPERTONIC solution the water moves to….
the high solute/low water solution OUTSIDE the cell
If you put a cell inside a HYPOTONIC solution the water moves to….
the high solute/low water solution INSIDE the cell.
Within an isotonic solution, you have an equal amount of….
solute and water concentration inside and outside the cell
Within a hypertonic solution, the cell is losing water due to….
a high solute concentration outside the cell, this can lead to the cell shrinking
Within a hypotonic solution, the cell is gaining water due to….
a high concentration of solute inside the cell, this can lead to the cell bursting/cell rupture
Active transport definition (2)
- Substances require energy (ATP) to enter the cell
- Substances travel against the concentration gradient
ATP is Adenosine triphosphate. When you add water to it…..
energy ) is released and ADP is formed.
How does active transport work
(there is 4 points)
- ATP binds to a transport protein
- A molecule or ion being transported against gradient binds to the protein
- ATP is hydrolysed (reacts with water) and the energy released help the molecule/ion move across the membrane
- The molecule/ion is released and the protein is ready to transport again
Types of active transport (2)
- which one carries large particles and which one carries small particles.
- Membrane (carrier) proteins:
(smaller particles travel via carrier proteins) - Cytosis
(larger particles travel via cytosis)
Define ion pumps and give three examples
transmembrane proteins that use energy to move ions. Some common ion pumps are:
- Proton pumps (H+)
- Sodium-Potassium pumps
- Cotransport-Sodium-Glucose
Define endocytosis
Endocytosis is the infolding of the membrane to form vesicles/vacuoles that enter the cytoplasm.
Define the endocytosis term: Pinocytosis
the ingestion of surrounding fluid(s)
Define the endocytosis term: Phagocytosis
the ingestion of solid material
Define exocytosis
The vesicle fuses with the membrane and releases the content outside the cell.
What is plasmolysis
In the plant cells, the membrane pulling away from the cell wall
When does plasmolysis occur
happens when a cell shrinks inside its cell wall while the cell wall remains intact.
Enzyme function
Enzymes are the biological catalysts that provide an alternative pathway to lower activation energy.
Without enzymes metabolism….
would be very slow. Metabolism (metabolic reactions) refers to all chemical reactions occurring in a cell.
Anabolic reactions definition
is energy released or required
- Small molecules are assembled into large ones
- Energy is required
Catabolic Reactions
is energy released or required
- Large molecules are broken down into smaller ones
- Energy is released
Properties of enzymes (5)
- Enzymes are made of…
- They speed up…
- They are needed only in…
- They remain unchanged after…
- Each enzyme is specific….
- Enzymes are made of proteins
- They speed up chemical reactions inside the cytoplasm
- They are needed only in small amounts
- They remain unchanged after each reaction and can therefore be reused
- Each enzyme is specific for a substrate
What is the following model
- Substrate fits into the enzyme’s active site to form an enzyme-substrate complex
- The key (the substrate) that has a specific shape that allows it to fit into the lock (the enzyme)
Lock and key model
What is the following model
- Binding of the substrate to the enzyme alters the configuration of both the enzymes and the substrate, therefore a better fit
- Enzymes will fit the substrate with the correct functional groups are able to modify the active site of the enzyme
Induced fit model