Topic 3 Flashcards
Features of Eukaryotic cells
- have discrete membrane-bound organelle.
- Larger cell diameters are 20 μm or more
- not all have a cell wall
- Have nuclei
Features of Prokaryotic cells
- Bacteria and cyanobacteria (photosynthetic bacteria) together make up the prokaryote kingdom.
- Their cells do not have nuclei or membrane-bound organelle
Mitochondrion (plural mitochondria):
- The inner of it’s two membranes is folded to form finger-like projections called cristae.
- The mitochondria are the site of the later stages of respiration.
Nucleus
- Enclosed by an envelope composed of two membranes perforated by pores.
- Contains chromosomes and a nucleolus.
- The DNA in chromosomes contains genes that control the synthesis of proteins.
Nucleolus
- A dense body within the nucleus where ribosomes are made.
Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum (rER)
- A system of interconnected membrane-bound, flattened sacs.
- Ribosomes are connected to the outer surface.
Ribosomes
- Made of RNA and protein
- small organelles
- found free in the organism or attached to the endoplasmic reticulum
- They are the site of protein synthesis
Cell surface membrane (plasma membrane)
- Phospholipid bilayer containing proteins and other molecules forming a partially permeable barrier.
Smooth endoplasmic reticulum
- does not have any attached ribosomes
- makes lipids and steroids (e.g. reproductive hormones).
Golgi apparatus
- Stacks of flattened, membrane-bound sacs - cisternae
- formed by the fusion of vesicles from the ER
- Modifies proteins and packages them in vesicles for transport.
Lysosome
- Spherical sac containing digestive enzymes bound by a single membrane
- Involved in the breakdown of unwanted structures within the cell and the destruction of whole cells when old cells are to be replaced or during development.
e. g. the acrosome
Centrioles
- Hollow cylinders made up of a ring of nine protein microtubules
- (polymers of globular proteins arranged in a helix to form a hollow tube)
- help form the spindles during nuclear division
- involved in transport within the cell cytoplasm.
Protein transport within cells - golgi apparatus and rER
- The rER’s ribosomes synthesise proteins and transports them to the golgi apparatus from the RER
- The Golgi apparatus receives proteins and lipids (fats) from the rough endoplasmic reticulum.
- It modifies some of them and sorts, concentrates and packs them into sealed droplets called vesicles.
- Depending on the contents these are despatched to one of three destinations:
Destination 1: within the cell, to organelles called lysosomes.
Destination 2: the plasma membrane of the cell
Destination 3: outside of the cell.
The Ovum (egg cell)
- Large and incapable of independent movement.
- Wafted along the oviducts from the ovary to the uterus by ciliated cells lining the tubes and by muscular contractions of the tubes.
- The cytoplasm of the ovum contains proteins and lipid food reserves for a developing embryo.
- Surrounding the cell is a jelly-like coating called a zona pellucida.
The Sperm cell
- Much smaller, and independently mobile.
- Mitochondria in the middle piece
- To enable it to swim the sperm has a long tail powered by energy released by the mitochondria
- The sperm are attracted to the ovum by the chemicals released by it
- The acrosome (found in the head of the sperm cell) is a lysosome
acrosome reaction
- To penetrate the ovum the sperm’s acrosome releases digestive enzymes - which break down the zona pellucida of the ovum.
cortical reaction
- a sperm fuses with and penetrates the membrane surrounding the egg
- chemicals released by the ovum cause the zona pellucida, to thicken, preventing any further sperm entering the egg.
Fusion of nuclei
The sperm nucleus that enters the egg fuses with the egg nucleus to form a fertilised egg
Locus
the location of genes on a chromosome
Independent assortment
- During meiosis only one chromosome from each pair ends up in each gamete.
- The independent assortment of the chromosome pairs as they line up in during meiosis I is a source of genetic variation.
- This process is random: either chromosome from each pair could be in any gamete.
- This way of sharing chromosomes produces genetically variable gametes.