Bio93 - Lecture 5 - Wood/Mattheos/Green

Bio93 - Single Cell Dynamics; Membrane Structure

Prokaryotic

A simple, single-celled organism that lacks a distinct, membrane-bound nucleus and other internal membrane-bound organelles

• not humans, typically bacteria or archea

Eukaryotic

Complex cells that contain a membrane-bound nucleus and other internal compartments called organelles

• ex. humans

Organelle

A tiny, specialized structure inside a cell that performs a specific job

Amphipathic

A chemical compound or molecule that contains both a hydrophilic (water-loving, polar) region and a hydrophobic (water-fearing, nonpolar) region.

Phospholipid

A special type of fat molecule that form the primary building blocks of all living cell membranes

Fluid mosaic model

Describes the cell’s plasma membrane as a flexible, moving patchwork of different molecules rather than a rigid structure

Integral Protein

A type of permanent cell membrane protein that is embedded within the lipid bilayer of a cell or organelle

Peripheral Protein

A type of protein that temporarily attaches to the surface of a cell membrane without sinking into its hydrophobic core