Cell Structures and Functions

Flashcards summarizing key concepts from Chapter three on cell structures and functions.

Cell

The basic structural and functional unit of life, organized in function.

Plasma Membrane

The outer boundary of the cell that controls what enters and exits.

Nucleus

Contains the cell’s DNA and is responsible for controlling cellular functions.

Cytoplasm

Everything between the plasma membrane and the nucleus, including organelles.

Hydrophobic

Substances that do not dissolve well in water and can easily pass through the plasma membrane.

Hydrophilic

Substances that dissolve well in water and cannot easily pass through the plasma membrane without help.

Lipid Bilayer

The structural component of the plasma membrane comprising phospholipids and proteins.

Integral Protein

A protein that spans the phospholipid bilayer and assists in transporting substances across the membrane.

Osmosis

The diffusion of water through a selectively permeable membrane.

Diffusion

Movement of solute from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.

Isotonic

A solution where the concentration of solute is the same inside and outside the cell.

Hypertonic

A solution where the concentration of solute is greater outside the cell than inside.

Hypotonic

A solution where the concentration of solute is less outside the cell than inside.

Crenation

The shrinkage of cells due to water loss in a hypertonic solution.

Lysis

The bursting of cells due to excessive water intake in a hypotonic solution.

Mitosis

A type of cell division that results in two identical daughter cells.

Meiosis

A type of cell division that produces gametes with half the number of chromosomes.

Ribosome

The cellular structure where protein synthesis occurs.

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)

A cellular structure involved in the synthesis of proteins (rough ER) and lipids (smooth ER).

Golgi Apparatus

Organelles that modify, package, and distribute proteins and lipids.

Lysosome

The cell’s digestive system that breaks down waste.

Mitochondria

Organelles that produce ATP, the energy currency of the cell.

Protein Synthesis

The process of creating proteins from amino acids based on genetic instructions.

Transcription

The process of copying a segment of DNA into RNA.

Translation

The process of reading mRNA to assemble amino acids into a protein.

Gene

A segment of DNA that contains the instructions for making a specific protein.

Codon

A sequence of three nucleotides on mRNA that specifies an amino acid.

Anticodon

A sequence of three nucleotides on tRNA that pairs with a codon on mRNA.

Cell Differentiation

The process by which a less specialized cell becomes a more specialized cell.