CELS191 Lecture 4: Endomembrane System & Bulk Transport Processes

Vocabulary flashcards based on the key concepts from the CELS191 lecture on the Endomembrane System and Bulk Transport Processes.

Endomembrane System

A system of membranes that includes the nuclear envelope, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, vesicles, lysosomes, vacuoles, and plasma membrane, interconnected by direct contact or vesicle transport.

Exocytosis

Bulk transport out of the cell; involves the transport of materials (glycoproteins or other substances) to the cell surface.

Endocytosis

Process by which a cell takes in molecules and particulate matter at the plasma membrane.

Phagocytosis

A type of endocytosis; process of 'cell eating' where the cell takes up large particles or cells.

Pinocytosis

A type of endocytosis; process of 'cell drinking' where the cell takes in extracellular fluid.

Receptor-mediated Endocytosis

A specialized form of pinocytosis where receptor proteins are used to selectively capture specific substances from the extracellular fluid.

Golgi Complex

A series of membrane sacs that modifies, sorts, and ships proteins arriving from the rough endoplasmic reticulum.

Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum (rER)

Part of the endoplasmic reticulum with ribosomes on its surface; involved in protein synthesis.

Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum (sER)

Part of the endoplasmic reticulum that lacks ribosomes; functions in lipid synthesis, detoxification, and calcium ion storage.

Vesicle

A membrane-bound structure that transports materials within the cell and between organelles.

Lysosome

Membrane-bound organelle containing hydrolytic enzymes for digestion of macromolecules.

Autophagy

The process by which lysosomes digest and recycle unwanted cellular materials for cell health.

Constitutive Exocytosis

A type of exocytosis that releases unregulated extracellular matrix proteins.

Regulated Exocytosis

A type of exocytosis that releases hormones and neurotransmitters in response to specific signals.

Glycosylation

Addition or modification of carbohydrates to proteins, important for secreted or cell surface proteins.

Cis Face (Golgi Complex)

The side of the Golgi apparatus that receives vesicles from the endoplasmic reticulum.

Trans Face (Golgi Complex)

The side of the Golgi apparatus from which processed vesicles leave.

Lipid Bilayer

The structure of cell membranes, made up of two layers of phospholipid molecules.

Calcium Ions (Ca²+)

Ions stored in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum and used as a signaling mechanism in the cell.

Macrophages

A type of immune cell in humans that performs phagocytosis by engulfing pathogens or debris.

Vacuoles

Membrane-bound compartments in cells, often larger in plant cells, involved in storage and maintaining cell turgor.