BIOL: Lecture Notes-Sept. 5: Mitochindria&Chloroplasts

Vocabulary flashcards outlining key organelles, pigments, and neuronal growth structures

Mitochondria

Double-membrane organelles that generate most of the cell's ATP through cellular respiration; present in nearly all eukaryotic cells; mature red blood cells lack mitochondria.

Red blood cells

Mature erythrocytes that do not contain mitochondria.

Chloroplasts

Plant and algal organelles that perform photosynthesis; contain chlorophyll; believed to have originated from photosynthetic bacteria via endosymbiosis.

Chlorophyll

Green photosynthetic pigment that absorbs light energy to drive photosynthesis.

Endosymbiotic theory

Idea that organelles like mitochondria and chloroplasts originated as free-living bacteria taken into a host cell and formed a symbiotic relationship.

Photosynthesis

Process by which light energy is converted into chemical energy (sugars) in plants and algae, using chloroplasts.

Photosynthetic pigment

Molecules that absorb light to drive photosynthesis (e.g., chlorophyll).

Peroxisome

Organelle where oxidative reactions occur; detoxifies substances by converting hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen; involved in fatty acid metabolism.

Hydrogen peroxide

Reactive oxygen species produced during metabolism; decomposed by catalase in peroxisomes to water and oxygen.

Growth cone

Dynamic, motile structure at the tip of a growing neurite/axon that navigates the environment to guide growth; rich in actin.

Filopodia

Thin, finger-like protrusions of a growth cone composed of parallel actin filaments used for environmental sensing.

Lamellipodia

Broad, sheet-like protrusions at the leading edge of a growth cone formed by a branched actin network, aiding movement.

Actin

Cytoskeletal protein that polymerizes into filaments to drive cellular movements, including filopodia and lamellipodia.

Chloroplast DNA

Chloroplasts contain circular DNA, similar to bacterial DNA, supporting the endosymbiotic origin of chloroplasts.