Prokaryotic vs. Eukaryotic Cells: Structures, Functions, and Transport

What is a major difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?

Eukaryotic cells have more intracellular organelles than prokaryotes.

What shape change of a cube of modeling clay decreases its surface area relative to its volume?

Rounding the clay up into a sphere.

What are the two domains that prokaryotes belong to?

Bacteria and Archaea.

Which structure is common to both plant and animal cells?

Mitochondrion.

Which structure is present in a prokaryotic cell?

Ribosome.

Where is DNA found in a bacterium?

In the nucleoid.

Which organelle is absent in plant cells?

Centrosomes.

What is the function of the nuclear pore complex in eukaryotes?

It regulates the movement of proteins and RNAs into and out of the nucleus.

Which macromolecule leaves the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell through nuclear pores?

mRNA.

What statement describes protein secretion from prokaryotic cells?

Proteins secreted by prokaryotes are synthesized on ribosomes bound to the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane.

What type of cells have large numbers of ribosomes?

Cells that specialize in producing proteins.

What is the immediate consequence of disarray in the nuclear lamina?

A change in the shape of the nucleus.

What does a cell with predominance of free ribosomes primarily produce?

Proteins in the cytosol.

Which organelle takes up much of the volume of a plant cell?

Vacuole.

What is the function of smooth endoplasmic reticulum?

To synthesize large quantities of lipids.

Which structure is NOT part of the endomembrane system?

Chloroplast.

What describes the polarity of the Golgi apparatus?

Transport vesicles fuse with one side of the Golgi and leave from the opposite side.

What determines the difference in lipid and protein composition in the endomembrane system?

The function of the Golgi apparatus in sorting and directing membrane components.

Where are proteins synthesized that may be exported from the cell?

Rough ER.

Which organelle is involved in Tay-Sachs disease due to lipid accumulation?

Lysosome.

Which structure is abundant in liver cells for detoxification?

Smooth ER.

Which organelle produces and modifies polysaccharides for secretion?

Golgi apparatus.

What is the pathway for a newly synthesized protein that will be secreted?

ER → Golgi → vesicles that fuse with plasma membrane.

What health risk is associated with inhaling asbestos fibers?

Development of asbestosis.

What is the sequence of organelles involved in protein processing from the ER to the plasma membrane?

ER → Golgi → vesicles that fuse with plasma membrane

What risk is associated with asbestos exposure in buildings?

Development of asbestosis caused by inhalation of asbestos fibers

Where do asbestos fibers accumulate in cells?

Lysosomes

Which organelles have their own DNA and can reproduce themselves?

Chloroplasts and mitochondria

What is the primary site of ATP synthesis in eukaryotic cells?

Mitochondrion

What components are found in chloroplasts?

Thylakoids, DNA, and ribosomes

In a plant cell, where can DNA be found?

In the nucleus, mitochondria, and chloroplasts

What do peroxisomes do with hydrogen during detoxification?

Transfer the hydrogen to oxygen molecules to generate hydrogen peroxide

What process likely led to the evolution of eukaryotic cells?

Endosymbiosis of an aerobic bacterium in a larger host cell, evolving into mitochondria

Where are proteins produced besides ribosomes in the cytosol or attached to the ER?

In mitochondria

What type of cell could contain enzymes, DNA, ribosomes, plasma membrane, and mitochondria?

Nearly any eukaryotic organism

Where is cyanide most likely to be found in a cell?

Mitochondria

Which organelle is likely involved in a metabolic disease causing fatigue?

Mitochondria

What do motor proteins interact with to provide molecular motion in cells?

Components of the cytoskeleton

What structure contains the 9 + 2 arrangement of microtubules?

Flagella and motile cilia

What would cancer cells treated with vinblastine be unable to do?

Separate chromosomes during cell division

How do amoebae move by crawling?

Growth of actin filaments to form bulges in the plasma membrane

What was missing in the experiment to observe vesicular transport?

Motor proteins

What causes cilia and flagella to bend?

A motor protein called dynein

What is a consequence of defective cytoskeletal proteins in red blood cells?

Abnormally shaped RBCs

What can a cell treated with cytochalasin D still do?

Move vesicles within a cell

What is required to form cilia or flagella?

Tubulin

Which statement about the cytoskeleton is true?

Movement of cilia and flagella is the result of motor proteins causing microtubules to move relative to each other.

What is the role of motor proteins in cilia and flagella movement?

Motor proteins cause microtubules to move relative to each other.

What is a common characteristic of extracellular structures like cell walls and the extracellular matrix?

They are constructed of polymers that are synthesized in the cytoplasm and then transported out of the cell.

What cellular defect would a mutation that disrupts polysaccharide modifications to proteins likely cause?

Defects in the Golgi apparatus and extracellular matrix.

How does the extracellular matrix communicate information to the inside of an animal cell?

Through integrins.

What structure in plant cells is functionally similar to gap junctions in animal cells?

Plasmodesmata.

How can ions travel directly between adjacent animal cells?

Through gap junctions.

What is the function of the middle lamella in plant cells?

It allows adjacent cells to adhere to one another.

Where are tight junctions primarily found?

In the epithelium of an animal's stomach.

What did H. V. Wilson's sponge experiment reveal about cell-cell adhesion?

The molecules responsible for cell-cell adhesion differed between the two species of sponge.

What causes Gaucher disease?

A deficiency of an enzyme necessary for lipid metabolism, leading to fatty material accumulation in organs.

How do internal membranes and organelles relate to Gaucher disease?

The lysosomes lack sufficient amounts of enzymes necessary for the metabolism of lipids.

What limits cell size?

Surface to volume ratios.

Which of the following is NOT part of a prokaryotic cell?

An endoplasmic reticulum.

Why is there a price difference between toy microscopes and college lab microscopes?

Toy microscopes magnify well but have low resolution, resulting in poor quality images.

What technique is best for observing condensed chromosomes during cell division?

Standard light microscopy.

Why can modern transmission electron microscopes resolve images to the subnanometer level?

Electron beams have much shorter wavelengths than visible light.

In centrifugation, what determines whether a cellular component ends up in the supernatant or the pellet?

The size and weight of the component.

What is the advantage of light microscopy over electron microscopy?

Light microscopy allows one to view dynamic processes in living cells.

What is the smallest cell structure likely visible with a standard light microscope?

A mitochondrion.