Walking Units of Life
Cell
smallest basic unit of life
comprised of organelles
Cell membrane
Separates cell from environment around it and helps regulate homeostasis
Phospholipid Bilayer
Composed of tightly packed phospholipids that controls what can go in or out of the cell
Characteristics of Phospholipid Bilayer
Center is hydrophobic while the phosphate heads on the outside are hydrophilic.
What can go through the phospholipid bilayer? Why?
Substances that are small and nonpolar (not electrically charged)
The phospholipids are tightly packed so large items can not pass, and the hydrophobic center rejects anything with a large charge.
What is an example of a substance that can pass through? Can not?
Oxygen and carbon dioxide are small and nonpolar so they can. Water is a large molecule and polar so it may not.
ex: Oxygen crosses 5 membranes from high concentration in lungs to low concentration into our bloodstream.
Is the phospholipid bilayer mobile?
Yes! It is fluid and moves from side to side.
amphipathic
Consisting of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts
How do plant cells stabilize the cell membrane?
Plants have a cell wall around the membrane which “boxes” it in
What are the 2 ways animal cells stabilize the cell membrane?
Animal cells can use sticky substances to glue the phospholipids together, thus stabilizing the membrane. ex: cholesterol
They can also anchor down the cell membrane to the ECM (extra cellular matrix) or to internal membranes.
How does a polar/large molecule enter the bilayer?
By installing pathways
ex: aquaporin
Aquaporin
Any protein that allows water transfer into the cell
How do we describe the way the cell membrane is designed?
The Fluid Mosaic Model
What are the three major types of cell?
Bacterial, Plant and Animal Cells
What type of cell is the smallest?
Bacterial Cell
Prokaryote
Primitive cell with no nucleus ex: bacteria cell
Eukaryote
Cell with a nucleus ex: plant and animal cell
Organelle
specialized structure within a cell
Nucleus
holds chromosomal DNA within cell and controls cell activity
Ribosomes
Site of protein synthesis
Lysosomes
ONLY FOUND IN ANIMAL CELLS
contains proteins capable of breaking down macromolecules (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids)
Mitochondria
site of cellular respiration and energy production (ATP)
Cytoplasm
gelatinous substance inside cell that holds organelles in place and facilitates movement
Vacuole
store water, nutrients, and waste in cell
-much larger in plant cells
Cell Wall
ONLY FOUND IN PLANT CELLS
gives cell structure
Chloroplasts
ONLY FOUND IN PLANT CELLS
produce energy through photosynthesis
Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum
network of membranes inside a cell that houses ribosomes
Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum
network of membranes inside a cell that produce the lipids found in the cell membrane and detoxifies poisons (ex: growing tolerance of alcohol)
Golgi Apparatus
Transport + modifies vesicles
Vesicle
small spheres of membrane used for transport
Endoskeleton Membrane System
internal membrane system of the cell where the endoplasmic reticulum packages vesicles (lysosomes) that are then transported to the golgi apparatus. The golgi apparatus then modifies vesicles and sends them out of the cell, or to other places within it.
Bulk Transport
Movement of macromolecules into or out of the cell
Types of Bulk Transport
Endocytosis and Exocytosis
Endocytosis
Process where macromolecules are let into the cell
Exocytosis
Process where matter is forced out of the cell
ex: pancreatic cells make insulin but don’t use it, so the insulin and forced out and transferred to other places within the cell
Hypotonic Solution
Solution with a lower concentration of solutes
Hypertonic Solution
Solution with a higher concentration of solutes
Isotonic Solution
Solution has an equal concentration of solute