Cell Types

Eukaryotic cells

Cells with membrane-bound organelles that have specific functions.

Nucleus

The organelle that contains DNA and is surrounded by a nuclear membrane.

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)

An organelle connected to the nucleus, involved in synthesis of proteins (Rough ER) and lipids (Smooth ER).

Golgi Body (Apparatus)

An organelle that modifies, packages, and prepares proteins/lipids for secretion.

Mitochondria

The powerhouse of the cell, responsible for producing ATP through cellular respiration.

Chloroplasts

Organelles in plants and algae that conduct photosynthesis.

Vacuole

A membrane-bound organelle that stores water, nutrients, and waste, larger in plants than in animals.

Lysosome

An organelle containing digestive enzymes to break down waste and foreign substances in the cell.

Endomembrane system

A network of membrane-bound organelles that modifies, packages, and transports lipids and proteins.

Rough ER (RER)

A type of endoplasmic reticulum studded with ribosomes, synthesizes and modifies proteins.

Smooth ER (SER)

A type of endoplasmic reticulum without ribosomes, synthesizes lipids and detoxifies drugs.

Cis face

The side of the Golgi apparatus that receives vesicles from the endoplasmic reticulum.

Trans face

The side of the Golgi apparatus that ships out vesicles for secretion or further processing.

Peroxisomes

Organelles that break down fatty acids, detoxify substances, and produce hydrogen peroxide.

Endosymbiont Theory

The theory that mitochondria and chloroplasts originated from free-living bacteria engulfed by ancestral eukaryotic cells.