Unit Two: Cells & Tissues Vocabulary

Unit 2 vocab

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)

A nucleotide composed of an adenine base, a sugar, and 3 phosphate groups

Electrolyte

A substance that dissolves in water into particles with positive and negative charges.

Enzymes

Proteins that speed up specific biological reactions.

Glucose

The main form of sugar that circulates in the blood.

Glycogen

A polymer of glucose found in animals; stored from glucose.

Active Transport

A process that requires energy to move against a concentration gradient, from an area of low concentration to one of higher concentration.

Cilia

Hair-like projections that actively flex back and forth to move fluid or mucus across the outside of the cell.

Diffusion

The movement of material from a place where it is concentrated to an place where it is less concentrated.

Endocytosis

The process in which a region of a cell membrane forms a pocket into the cell and then pinches off to form membrane-bound sac, or vesicle, inside the cytoplasm.

Exocytosis

The process in which a small membrane-bound vesicle in the cytoplasm fuses with the cell’s membrane to export molecules that were inside the vesicle to the outside.

Glycolysis

The break down of a glucose molecule into two pyruvate molecules.

Microvilli

Finger-like extensions that increase the surface area of a cell.

Passive Transport

A method of transport that does not require any energy.

Endocrine Gland

A gland that secretes it’s product into the interstitial space.

Exocrine Gland

A gland that secretes it’s products to the outside world.

Histology

The study of tissues.