Endomembrane System Overview

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and concepts related to the endomembrane system in eukaryotic cells.

Endomembrane system

A collection of machines, cytoskeletal components, and organelles that together produce, process, and transport proteins and lipids.

Signal sequence

A series of amino acids at the start of a protein that allows that protein to enter the endomembrane system.

Motor protein

A protein that functions in cell movement through shape changes caused by phosphorylation or dephosphorylation.

Phosphorylation

The addition of a phosphate group (PO4³) to a protein, typically from ATP.

Dephosphorylation

The reverse process of phosphorylation, where the phosphate group is removed from a molecule.

Vesicle

Membrane-bound spheres that transport proteins and other products between organelles.

Ribosome

A cell structure that synthesizes proteins based on mRNA sequences.

Golgi apparatus

An organelle that modifies, sorts, and packages proteins and lipids for transport.

mRNA

A temporary version of the information archived in a gene that guides protein synthesis.

Insulin

A signaling molecule produced in the pancreas that helps regulate glucose levels in the blood.