Energy Systems

The building blocks of all living organisms

Cells

Tiny structures within cells, each with a unique function

Organelles

The cellular membrane made of lipids and proteins that forms the external boundary of the cytoplasm and regulates the passage of molecules into and out of the cytoplasm

Plasma membrane

The viscous fluid inside a living cell excluding the nucleus

Cytoplasm

Small cellular organelles involved in polypeptide and protein synthesis

Ribosomes

A network of tubules attached to the nuclear membrane in cells

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)

Endoplasmic reticulum with ribosomes attached

Rough endoplasmic reticulum

Endoplasmic reticulum that lacks ribosomes

Smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER)

An organelle of folded membranes responsible for packaging and transporting membrane-bound proteins

Golgi apparatus

A class of proteins with at least one carbohydrate group attached

Glycoproteins

An organelle filled with digestive enzymes that breaks down materials the cell has absorbed

Lysosomes

An organelle with a double membrane and many folds inside responsible for generating the chemical energy needed for biochemical reactions; the “powerhouse of cell” where the aerobic processes the Kreb’s cycle and electron transport chain occur

Mitochondria (singular “mitochondrion”)

The smaller, absorbable building blocks of the fat that is found in the body

Fatty acids

The generation of new glucose molecules from non-carbohydrate carbon substrates

Gluconeogenesis

The breakdown of glucose by enzymes, releasing energy and pyruvic acid

Glycolysis

Cell division that results in two cells identical to the original cell

Mitosis

The stored form of glucose found in muscle tissue and the liver

Glycogen

The energy-producing process that occurs in mitochondria in the presence of oxygen

Oxidative phosphorylation

A simple sugar the body uses for energy production on the cellular level

Glucose

The main component of adipose tissue made of three fatty acids and a glycerol

Triglycerides