Microbiology and Cell Biology Lecture Flashcards

A set of 120 vocabulary flashcards covering cell history, cell theory, cell structures, membrane transport, and the cell cycle based on lecture notes.

Lens

A curved piece of glass or another material that makes an object look bigger, named after the shape of lentil beans.

Microscope

A tool that uses lenses to make very small objects look much bigger to see details invisible to the naked eye.

Zacharias Janssen

A scientist credited with making one of the earliest compound microscopes around $1590$ by placing multiple lenses in a tube.

Robert Hooke

A scientist who in $1665$ observed thin pieces of cork and coined the term cells for the box-like structures he saw.

Cellula

A Latin word meaning small room or compartment; the origin of the word cell used by Robert Hooke.

Micrographia

A book by Robert Hooke which documented his observations of tiny objects under a microscope.

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

A scientist who created powerful microscopes and was one of the first to observe living microorganisms like bacteria and protists.

Animalcules

The term used by Leeuwenhoek to describe tiny living organisms because they resembled small animals.

Cell Theory

The basic idea that cells are the building blocks of life and that all living things are made of one or more cells.

Matthias Schleiden

A scientist who studied plants and concluded that all plants are composed of cells.

Theodor Schwann

A scientist who studied animals and concluded that all animals are composed of cells.

Rudolf Virchow

A scientist who explained that new cells are produced from existing cells.

Omnis cellula e cellula

A Latin phrase meaning every cell comes from another cell.

First Main Idea of Cell Theory

All living things are made of cells, whether the organism is a bacterium or a large animal.

Second Main Idea of Cell Theory

The cell is the basic unit of life and is the smallest working building block that carries out life activities.

Third Main Idea of Cell Theory

All cells come from preexisting cells through the process of cell division.

Divine Theory

The belief that life was created by a divine or supernatural power.

Panspermia

The idea that life or its ingredients originated in outer space and reached Earth via asteroids, comets, or meteorites.

Spontaneous Generation

An old belief that living things could appear directly from nonliving things, such as maggots from rotting meat.

Francisco Redi

A scientist who disproved spontaneous generation by showing that maggots on meat came from flies, not the meat itself.

John Needham

A scientist who supported spontaneous generation after observing microorganisms in boiled, sealed broth.

Lazzaro Spallanzani

A scientist who challenged Needham by boiling broth longer and sealing it properly, resulting in no microorganism growth.

Louis Pasteur

A scientist whose swan-neck flask experiment proved that microorganisms come from the environment, not spontaneous generation.

Prokaryotic Cell

A simple cell that lacks a true nucleus; its DNA is located in the nucleoid area.

Eukaryotic Cell

A complex cell that contains a true nucleus and memo-bound organelles; found in animals, plants, fungi, and protists.

PRO (Mnemonic)

Mnemonic used to remember that prokaryotic means No proper nucleus.

EU (Mnemonic)

Mnemonic used to remember that eukaryotic means True nucleus.

Nucleus

The cell's control room that stores DNA and manages the cell's activities.

Nucleoid

The region in a prokaryotic cell where DNA is located, which lacks a surrounding membrane.

Peptidoglycan

A strong material that forms part of the protective cell walls in bacteria.

Cellulose

A strong material making up the cell walls of plants that helps them maintain shape and strength.

Binary Fission

The reproduction method for many bacteria where the cell copies its DNA and splits into $2$ cells.

Cell (Basic Unit)

The smallest basic unit capable of carrying out all functions needed for life.

Cell Membrane

The cell's security guard or gate that surrounds the cell and regulates what enters and leaves.

Cytoplasm

The jelly-like material filling the cell interior where organelles are suspended and chemical reactions occur.

DNA

The cell's instruction manual containing genetic information for building proteins and performing functions.

Nucleolus

A small region located inside the nucleus where parts of ribosomes are produced.

Ribosomes

The cell's protein-making machines that read RNA instructions to build proteins for growth and repair.

Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum (Rough ER)

A factory with ribosomes on its surface that prepares proteins, especially those for transport.

Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum (Smooth ER)

A factory that produces lipids, fats, phospholipids, and steroids, and assists in detoxification.

Golgi Apparatus

The cell's packing and delivery center that modifies, packs, and sends materials to their destinations.

Vesicles

Tiny delivery packages used to carry proteins, lipids, and other materials throughout the cell.

Lysosomes

The cell's recycling and garbage disposal system containing enzymes to break down waste and old parts.

Peroxisomes

A clean-up and detox center that breaks down fatty acids and protects the cell from harmful chemicals.

Mitochondria

The cell's power plants that produce ATP through the process of cellular respiration.

ATP

The cell's usable energy currency used for movement, transport, and building molecules.

Cytoskeleton

An internal skeleton that gives the cell shape, organizes organelles, and facilitates internal movement.

Centrioles

Structures that organize microtubules and help separate chromosomes during cell division.

Cilia

Short hair-like structures used for cell movement or to move substances across the cell surface.

Flagellum

A long whip-like structure, such as those found on sperm cells, used for swimming through liquid.

Vacuole

A storage container for water, food, and waste; plant cells typically have a large central version.

Cell Wall

A strong outer layer in plants, fungi, and bacteria that provides support, protection, and shape.

Chloroplast

A solar-powered food factory in plant cells that captures sunlight to perform photosynthesis.

Chlorophyll

The green pigment inside chloroplasts that captures light energy for the production of food.

Plant Cell Features

Eukaryotic cells characterized by having a cell wall, chloroplasts, and a large central vacuole.

Animal Cell Features

Eukaryotic cells that lack a cell wall and chloroplasts, featuring a flexible cell membrane instead.

Cell Wall vs. Cell Membrane

The wall provides strong support and protection, whereas the membrane controls the passage of substances.

Chloroplast vs. Mitochondria

Chloroplasts capture energy to make food; mitochondria break down food to release usable energy.

Phospholipid

A molecule with a water-loving head and water-fearing tails that forms the cell membrane.

Hydrophilic

Meaning water-loving; refers to the phospholipid head that interacts with water.

Hydrophobic

Meaning water-fearing; refers to the phospholipid tails that avoid water.

Phospholipid Bilayer

A double layer of phospholipids where heads face watery areas and tails face inward.

Fluid Mosaic Model

The concept of the cell membrane as a flexible, moving structure containing various components like a mosaic.

Cholesterol

A molecule in the membrane that prevents it from becoming too stiff or too fluid.

Integral Protein

A protein embedded in the membrane that can act as a tunnel or door for transport.

Peripheral Protein

A protein that is attached to the surface of the cell membrane.

Glycoprotein

A protein with an attached carbohydrate that acts as a cell ID tag for recognition.

Glycolipid

A lipid with an attached carbohydrate that assists with membrane stability and cell recognition.

Diffusion

The natural movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.

Concentration

The specific amount of a substance present in a particular area.

Concentration Gradient

The difference in the amount of a substance between a high concentration area and a low concentration area.

Passive Transport

Movement of substances across a membrane from high to low concentration without using energy.

Simple Diffusion

Direct movement of small molecules through the membrane without the use of proteins or ATP.

Facilitated Diffusion

Movement of molecules from high to low concentration with the assistance of a membrane protein.

Channel Protein

A protein that provides a tunnel for specific substances to pass through the cell membrane.

Carrier Protein

A protein that binds a substance, changes shape, and carries it across the membrane.

Aquaporin

A specific channel protein dedicated to the rapid movement of water across the cell membrane.

Active Transport

Movement from low to high concentration that requires ATP energy for uphill transport.

Endocytosis

The process of bringing substances into the cell by wrapping the membrane around them to form a vesicle.

Phagocytosis

Often called cell eating; the process where a cell takes in large solid objects like bacteria.

Pinocytosis

Often called cell drinking; the process where a cell takes in fluid droplets and dissolved substances.

Receptor-Mediated Endocytosis

A process where the cell uses specific receptors to recognize and bring in targeted substances.

Exocytosis

The process of releasing contents outside the cell as a vesicle joins with the cell membrane.

Osmosis

The movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane.

Selective Permeability

A property of the membrane allowing only certain substances to pass while blocking others.

Isotonic

A condition where solute concentration is equal inside and outside the cell, keeping cell size stable.

Hypotonic

A solution with lower solute concentration than the cell, causing the cell to swell and potentially burst.

Cytolysis

The bursting of an animal cell due to excessive water intake in a hypotonic environment.

Hypertonic

A solution with higher solute concentration than the cell, causing the cell to shrink.

Crenation

The shrinking of an animal cell as water leaves it in a hypertonic environment.

Cell Cycle

The sequence of steps a cell follows to grow, copy its DNA, and divide.

Interphase

The period of the cell cycle where the cell grows, performs normal functions, and prepares for division.

G1 Phase

The first part of interphase where the cell grows and produces proteins and organelles.

S Phase

The part of interphase where the cell copies its DNA to ensure a complete set for new cells.

G2 Phase

The final part of interphase where the cell performs final checks and preparation for division.

M Phase

The phase of the cell cycle consisting of mitosis and cytokinesis.

Mitosis

A type of cell division producing $2$ genetically similar daughter cells for growth and repair.

PMAT

A mnemonic representing the four stages of mitosis: Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, and Telophase.

Prophase

The first stage of mitosis where chromosomes become visible and the nucleus breaks down.

Metaphase

The stage of mitosis where chromosomes align in a straight line in the middle of the cell.