Cell Biology and Theory Practice Flashcards

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering cell organelles, the history of cell theory, and the fundamentals of cell division based on lecture notes.

CELLS

The fundamental building blocks of living organisms that function as highly organized, miniature factories.

Organelles

Specialized structures inside a cell that perform specific tasks, such as generating energy or synthesizing proteins, to keep the cell and organism alive.

Cell Membrane (Plasma Membrane)

Acts as a selective barrier that encloses the cell; also described as the control center in some note sections.

Cytoplasm

A jelly-like fluid that fills the cell and suspends the organelles.

Nucleus

The "command center" or "manager" of the cell that stores genetic material ($DNA$) and coordinates activities like growth and metabolism.

Mitochondria

Known as the "powerhouse of the cell," they convert nutrients and oxygen into energy ($ATP$) through cellular respiration and have their own $DNA$.

Ribosomes

The cellular "factories" responsible for protein synthesis.

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)

A network of membranes involved in synthesizing, folding, and transporting proteins and lipids; can be rough (with ribosomes) or smooth.

Golgi Apparatus

Known as the cell's "post office," it receives, modifies, packages, and labels proteins and lipids from the $ER$.

Lysosomes

The cell's "recycling centers" or "suicide bag" containing digestive enzymes to break down waste, old cell parts, and foreign invaders.

Cytoskeleton

A network of protein fibers and tubes that gives the cell its shape and acts as a framework containing microflames and microtubules.

Nucleolus

A structure inside the nucleus that produces ribosomes.

Vacuoles

Structures that store water, nutrients, and waste products; plant cells typically have one large central vacuole.

Centrioles

Pairs of microtubular structures found only in animal cells that help organize cell division.

Cell Wall

A rigid structure made of rough cellulose fibers, found only in plant cells, that provides support and protection.

Uni-cellular

An organism consisting of only one cell.

Multi-cellular

An organism made of $2$ or more cells.

Metabolism

The process that turns food into energy.

$$pH$$

Potential Hydrogen.

Robert Honke

Considered the Father of Cytology; he described cells as empty chambers in his work Micrographia ($1665$).

Matthias Schleiden

A German botanist who co-proposed the cell theory in $1838$ focusing on plant cells.

Theodore Schwann

A German zoologist who stated in $1839$ that animals are also made of cells.

Rudolf Virchow

A German physician who contributed to the cell theory by stating that all cells arise from pre-existing cells ($1855$).

Prokaryotes

Organisms like bacteria that have no nucleus but possess a plasma membrane.

Eukaryotes

Organisms such as plants and animals that contain a nucleus.

Chromatin

The form $DNA$ takes when cells are not dividing, consisting of $DNA$ coiled around histones.

Chromatid

One of the duplicated chromosomes held together by a centromere during cell division.

Karyotype

A picture of the chromosomes from a human cell arranged in pairs by size.

Autosomes

The first $22$ pairs of chromosomes in a human cell.

Binary Fission

The process by which prokaryotes, such as bacteria, divide into $2$ identical daughter cells.

Interphase

The collective term for the three stages of the cell cycle ($G1$, $S$, and $G2$) where the cell matures and replicates $DNA$.

Mitosis (Karyokinesis)

The division of the nucleus, occurring only in eukaryotes, consisting of four stages: Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, and Telophase.