Animal Cell Structure and Function

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to animal cell structure and function, based on the provided lecture notes.

Eukaryotic Cells

Cells with a true nucleus containing DNA and various organelles with specific functions, surrounded by a cell membrane.

Cell Membrane

The squishy, selectively permeable outer boundary of an animal cell that monitors what comes in and out.

Cytoplasm

The wet and squishy solution of water and nutrients that fills each eukaryotic cell.

Cytoskeleton

A network of reinforcing protein strands within the cytoplasm crucial for cell structure.

Centrosomes

Specialized structures that assemble microtubules from proteins reinforcing the animal cell structure.

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)

A network of membranes within a cell that transport materials. Consists of rough ER (with ribosomes for protein synthesis) and smooth ER (for lipid synthesis and detoxification).

Ribosomes

Organelles that assemble amino acids into polypeptides, either floating freely in the cytoplasm or attached to the nuclear envelope.

Golgi Apparatus

The cell's post office that processes proteins and packages them into vesicles for transport within or outside the cell.

Lysosomes

Waste treatment plants and recycling centers of the cell that break down cellular waste and debris into simpler compounds.

Nucleus

The control center of the cell, containing DNA and directing cell activities like growth, metabolism, and protein synthesis.

Chromatin

A weblike substance in the nucleus that consists of DNA and proteins; condenses into chromosomes during cell division.

Nucleolus

A structure within the nucleus responsible for creating ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and assembling ribosomes.

Mitochondria

Smooth, oblong organelles where respiration occurs, converting fuels into ATP to power the cell. Thought to have originated as separate bacterial cells.

ATP

Adenosine Triphosphate, the main currency that drives life in the mentioned Eukaryopolis.

Cilia and Flagella

Structures that are present in some Eukaryotic cells made of long protein fibers used for movement.