The Cell Flashcards
Theory of endosymbiosis
Eukaryotic cells emerged when mitochondria and choloroplasts, once free-living prokaryotes, took up permanent residence inside other large cells
Eukaryotic Cell
● Internal membrances that compartmentalized the cell so that complex chemical reactions can be carried out efficiently in separate regions of a cell
● Nucleus bound by a double membrane
● All cells of the human body are eukaryotic cells
● DNA wrapped with histone proteins into chromosomes
● Ribosomes are largerr
● Metabolism is aerobic
● Cytoskeleton present
● Mainly multicellular with differentiation of cell types
● Cells are larger
Cell thoery
● All organisms are composed of cells
● All celss arise from preexisting cells
● Cell is the basic component of life
Prokaryotic Cell
● Simple cells containing no nuclei or other internal membrances ● All bacteria are prokayotic cells ● No nucleus -- they have a nucleoid region, which is a non-membrane-bound region where the chromosome is located ● Circular, naked DNA ● Ribosomes are very small ● Metabolism is anaerobic or aerobic ● Cytoskeleton absent ● Mainly unicellular ● Cells are very small
Nucleolus
● Inside the nucleus
● Where ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is synthesized according to instructions from the DNA
- Large and small subunits of ribosomes are also assembled there
● Combines proteins imported from the cytoplasm with rRNA made in the nucleolus
● Nucleoli are not membrane-bound structures but are actually a tangle of chromatin and unfinished riosomal precursors
Ribosomes
● Protein factories
● Can be found free in the cytoplasm or bound to the endoplasmic reticulum
● Free ribosomes are associated with protein produced for the cell’s own use, while ribosomes attached to the ER are meant for export out of the cell
Peroxisomes
● Found in both plant and animal cells
● Contain catalase, which converts hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a waste product of respiration in the cell, into water with the release of oxygen atoms
● They also detoxify alcohol in liver cells
Endomembrane System
● Regulates protein traffic and performs metabolic functions in cells
● Includes the nuclear envelope, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, vesicles, vacuoles, and plasma membrane
Nucleus
● Contains chromosomes which are wrapped with special proteins into a chromatin network
● Surrounded by nuclear envelope
Nuclear envelope
● A selectively permeable membrane that separates the contents of the nucleus from the cyoplasm
● Contains pores to allow for the transport of molecules, like messenger RNA (mRNA), which are too large to diffuse directly through the envelope
Endoplasmic Reticulum
Membranous system of channels and flattened sacs that traverse the cytoplasm and account for more than half the total membranes in a eukaryotic cell
Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum
Studded with ribosomes and produces proteims
Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum
● Assists in the synthesis of steroid hormones, like sex hormones, and of other lipids
● Stores Ca++ ions in muscle cells to facilitate normal muscle contractions
● Detoxifies drugs and poisons from the body
Golgi Apparatus
● Lies near the nucleus and consists of flattened membranous sacs stacked next to one another and surroundd by vesicles
● They process and package substances produced inthe rough ER and secrete hte substances to other parts of the cell or to the cell surface for export
Lysosomes
● Sacs of hydrolytic enzymes surrounded by a single membrane
● Principle site of intracellular digestion
● With the help of the lysosome, the cell continually performs autophagy
● Generally not found in plant cells
Hydrolytic enzymes
Digestive enzymes
Autophagy
The process of breaking down and recycling cell parts in a cell
Apoptosis
Programmed destruction of cells
Mitochondria
● Site of cellular respiration
● Have an outer double membrane and an inner series of membranes called cristae
● Contain their own DNA
● Constantly divide and fuse with each other in order to exchange DNA and compensate for one another’s defects
Vacuoles
● Membrane-bound structures used for storage
● Large vesicles derived from the ER and Glogi apparatus
● Mature plant cells generally have a single large central vacuole
● Many freshwater protists have contractile vacuoles
Contractile vacuoles
● Present in many freshwater protists
● Pump out excess water
Food vacuoles
Formed by the phagocytosis of foreign material
Chloroplast
● Contain the green pigment chlorophyll that abosrobs light energy and synthesizes sugar
● Found in plants and algae
● Double outer membrane and another inner membrane system called thylakoids
Cytoskeleton
● Complex mesh of protein filaments that extends throughout the cytoplasm
● Includes microtubules and microfilamnets
Microtubules
Hollow tubes made of the protein tubulin that make up the cilia, flagella, and spindle fibers
Cilia / Flagella
● Move cells from one place to another
● Consists of 9 pairs of microtubules organized around 2 singlest microtubules
Flagella
● Move cells from one place to another
● Consists of 9 pairs of microtubules organized around 2 singlest microtubules
● When present in prokaryotes, they are not made of microtubules
Spindle fibers
Help separate chromosomes during mitosis and meiosis and consist of microtubules organized into 9 triplets with no microtubules in the centre
Microfilaments
● Assembled from actin filaments
● Help support the shape of the cell
Centrioles, centrosomes, and the Microtubule Organizing Centers
● Nonmembranous structures that lie outside the nuclear membranes
● Organize spindle fibers and give rise to the spindle apparatus required for cell division
● Two centrioles oriented at right angles to each other make up one centrosome
● Plant cells lack centrosomes, but have MTOCs
Cell wall
● One cell structure not found in animal cells
● Plants and algae have cell walls made of cellulose
● Cell walls of fungi are usually made of chitin
Chitin
Prokaryotes conssit of other polysaccharides and complex polymers
Primary cell wall
Immediately outside the plasma membrane
Second cell wall
Underneath the primary cell wall
Middle lamella
The thin gluey layer formed between the two new cells when a plant cell divides
Plasma Membrane
● Selectively permeable membrane that regulates the steady traffic that enters and leaves the cell
● Eukaryotic membrane consists of a phospholipid bilayer with proteins dispersed throughout the layer
Fluid mosaid model
S. J. Singer’s description of the cell membrane
Integral proteins
Have nonpolar regions that completely span the hydrophobic interior of the cell membrane
Peripheral proteins
Loosely bound to hte surface of the cell membrane