BIO 1134 General Biology I Unit II Study Guide - Chapters 4 & 5

Vocabulary flashcards covering cell structure, organelles, eukaryotic cell-cell junctions, cytoskeleton components, cell protrusions, and cell membrane transport processes from Chapters 4 and 5.

Cell

The most basic unit of life.

Prokaryotes

Organisms whose cells lack a nucleus and intricate internal structures.

Eukaryotes

Organisms whose cells contain a nucleus and a variety of organelles.

Tight Junction

An animal cell-cell junction that functions to seal and separate bodily compartments, found in the intestinal tract, brain, and kidney.

Plasmodesmata

The main type of cell-cell junction found in plant cells, involved in many plant cell connections.

Microtubule (MT)

A eukaryotic cytoskeletal filament composed of tubulin subunits and associated with dyneins motor proteins, functioning in cell division, cell guidance, and as components of cilia and flagella.

Intermediate Filament

A type of eukaryotic cytoskeletal filament that has no associated motor proteins.

Flagella

A eukaryotic cell membrane protrusion used for movement, supported by microtubules in a $9+2$ arrangement, with the main function of cell propulsion.

Cilia

A eukaryotic cell membrane protrusion used for movement, supported by microtubules in a $9+2$ arrangement.

Pseudopods

Eukaryotic cell membrane protrusions used for movement.

Fluid-Mosaic Model

A model describing the structure and arrangement of components that make up a cell membrane.

Passive Transport

The movement of substances across a cell membrane without requiring energy.

Active Transport

The energy-requiring movement of substances across a cell membrane, such as via the sodium-potassium pump.

Diffusion

The passive movement of solute particles down their concentration gradient.

Osmosis

The diffusion of water across a selectively permeable membrane.

Crenation

The shrinking or shriveling of an animal cell when water leaves the cell in a hypertonic solution.

Lysis

The bursting or breakdown of an animal cell due to excess water intake in a hypotonic solution.

Turgor Pressure

The force within a plant cell pushing the plasma membrane against the cell wall, which varies based on solution tonicity.

Plasmolysis

The process where the plasma membrane pulls away from the cell wall when a plant cell is placed in a hypertonic solution.

Facilitated Diffusion

Passive transport across a biological membrane facilitated by transport proteins, such as channel proteins or carrier proteins.

Sodium-Potassium Pump

A specific membrane protein mechanism that accomplishes active transport across the plasma membrane.

Exocytosis

A cellular process where materials are exported out of the cell via membrane-bound vesicles.

Endocytosis

A cellular transport process that imports substances into the cell, including phagocytosis, pinocytosis, and receptor-mediated endocytosis.

Phagocytosis

A form of endocytosis involving the cellular uptake or engulfment of large particles.

Pinocytosis

A form of endocytosis involving the non-specific uptake of extracellular fluids and dissolved solutes.

Receptor-Mediated Endocytosis

A specific form of endocytosis where target molecules bind to specific receptors on the cell membrane prior to vesicle formation.