Cell Parts and Functions

Cell Parts and Functions: The Cell Membrane The Protoplasm and Organelles The Nucleus

The three principal parts of the cell

Cell membrane, Protoplasm and organelles, and Nucleus.

Cell Membrane

Serves as the boundary between the outside environment and the inside of the cell.

Plasma membrane

has a double layer of phospholipid molecules.

Phospholipid molecule

made up of glycerol which is a phosphate group and two chains of fatty acid.

Osmosis

The spontaneous movement of solvent molecules through a semi-permeable membrane, from an area of higher solute concentration to an area of lower solute concentration.

Diffusion

The movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.

Transporters

Proteins that allow nutrients to enter the cell and by-products to leave the cell.

Endocytosis

The process in which cells absorb molecules by engulfing them, creating a small deformation inward called invagination.

Phagocytosis

Process of cell eating

Pinocytosis

Process of cell drinking

Exocytosis

The process in which cells remove undigested residue or secrete substances such as hormones and enzymes.

Protoplasm

The plasma or mass of jelly-like materials inside the cell, which can change from a semisolid gel to a semiliquid solution.

First

In the word protoplasm, proto means what?

Substance

In the word protoplasm, plasm means what?

Liquid and Jelly

Protoplasm is divided in two forms

Mitochondria

Microscopic rod-shaped bodies in the cytoplasm that are the centers of cellular respiration, producing energy-rich adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

Mitochondria

If there is an absence of nucleus, this takes over the place.

Mitochondrion

Singular form of Mitochondria

Ribosomes

Tiny structures composed of nucleic acid and protein, site of protein synthesis or translation.

mRNA

Ribosomes link amino acids together in the order specified by ____ molecules.

Translation

The process in which ribosomes create proteins in the cytoplasm using messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules.

Amino Acids

Elements present in proteins, including carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, important in biosynthesis and the final product of protein digestion.

mRNA

Messenger RNA that conveys genetic information from DNA and delivers it to the ribosomes for protein synthesis.

Endoplasmic Reticulum

A network of tiny canals throughout the cell that transports proteins and other molecules to other parts of the cell.

Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum and Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum

The two types of Endoplasmic Reticulum

Golgi Bodies

The major collection and dispatch station of protein products received from the endoplasmic reticulum, enhancing proteins and lipids and packaging them into vesicles for transport.

Cis Golgi Network

Is a collection of fused, flattened membrane – enclosed cisternae, originating from a vesicular cluster that buds off the endoplasmic reticulum.

Trans Golgi Network

It is the final cisterna structure, from which protein are package into vesicles

Vacuoles

Membrane-bound compartments in plant and fungal cells that store water, salts, proteins, and carbohydrates.

Plant Vacuole

typically occupies more than 30% of the cell’s volume, and that can occupy as much as 80% of the volume for certain cell types and conditions.

Tonoplast

• Also known as vacuolar membrane.

• A membrane that surrounds the vacuole.

• It separates the vacuole content from the cytoplasm.

Cell sap

Water like content that fills the vacuole.

Lysosomes

Organelles that act as the waste disposal system of the cell by digesting unwanted materials in the cytoplasm.

Centrosomes

Masses of dense protoplasm with structures called centrioles at the center, responsible for regulating cell division.

Centrioles

It is a part of the cytoplasm, duplicated and formed at the center for spindle fiber formation during the cell division.

Cell Wall

A structural layer surrounding some types of cells, located outside the cell membrane, providing support, protection, and acting as a filtering mechanism.

Primary Cell Wall, Secondary Cell Wall, and Middle Lamella

Three layers of cell wall

Pectin

It makes the cell strong. But in fruits, this loosens in the cell that results in softening of the fruit.

Plastids

Large membrane-bound organelles found in the cytoplasm of plant cells, including chromoplasts, rhodoplasts, and leucoplasts.

Chromoplasts

These are classified as the colored plastids.

Chlorophyll

Is very essential in the manufacture of food by green plants. 

Nucleus

The organelle containing most of the cell's genetic material, organized as DNA molecules with proteins to form chromosomes, responsible for gene expression and regulating cell activities.

Gene Expression

It is the process by which information from a gene is used in synthesis and it involves transcription (DNA use as a template to produce RNA)

Nutrition

It is the process by which cells obtain food molecules to support their other activities.

Digestion

It is the process by which food particles are broken down into smaller soluble units suitable for cell use, with the help of enzymes.

Absorption

It is the process by which cells absorb water, minerals, and other materials essential to life from their environment.

Reproduction

It is a process by which a cell copies or replicates its DNA and increases its number by cell division. The cells give rise to new cells.

Respiration

It is the process of breaking down food molecules into chemical energy needed by all cells in order to function.

Irritability

How cells respond or react to external factors or conditions around them.

Movement

It is the process which includes the locomotion of cells by means of special structures like cilia and flagella.